الجمعة، 31 مايو 2013

The Uses Of Antique Glass Beads

By Audrey McGuire


Many beads existed in the early days which were made of glass; they are commonly referred to as antique glass beads. They were highly valued in those days . Almost every country had them and they were used for different purposes. They were found in continents like Asia, America and Africa among others.

In ancient times they were used in trade for currency use. They were also used to show various kinds of information. They were used to show a person's age, how wealthy an individual is and where they were ranked in terms of wealth, also showed an individual's social status. All these were mainly so in the African culture especially West Africa.

You will find many of these beads in different designs like the chevron type, the watermelon, Venetian and the feather one. The chevron was mainly used for transactions that required the exchange of goods. Watermelon ones are thin and closely resemble the chevron . Its name comes as a result of the shape of the fruit it resembles. The other one used for trade is the Venetian one. The feather is used for trade mainly in African countries. It is made from many colored materials which are passed on the items to give the right one.

For many years it was being shipped to Africa from the Europe and East. They were held in high value in the places which they were being used. Once they arrived they were mainly used as money to buy products.

Apart from these items the other things that were used in trade especially in Europe were slaves, gold and ivory. Most of them were made in Europe and then they were transported to other continents where they were used in buying of goods. Most countries in Africa used it for decoration purposes.

Most of them are still available in the present day and have mainly aesthetic purposes. Today they are used in making of pendants, jewelry like necklaces, bangles, earrings among others. The fact that they are from the past centuries make them highly demanded and are available at different costs all over the world in the present day.

Many classes of these beads exist and they are classified according to the type of material used in making them. You will find them in different classes like the drawn items, molded and wounded type. One of the oldest is the wound one which was created by use of the winding method. The other one which mainly comes about when the glass is pulled forming a bubble is the drawn bead. Presses beads is the other name which is commonly used to refer to the molded bead. To make this bead molten glass is put in the middle of a mold resulting into a hollow.

Antique glass beads were and are still beautiful, delicate, classic and extremely rare. A lot of value is still placed on them this day. They are used mainly and almost exclusively for decorative purposes due to their appealing and attractive appearances.




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