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Ancient Agate Barrel Beads with Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian, and 20k Gold Clasp

$15,150List Price

About the Item

Nineteen ancient agate barrel beads alternating with groups of two lapis lazuli beads facing a short bi cone carnelian bead. There are eighteen carnelian beads and thirty-eight lapis lazuli beads in the necklace. The clasp and beading tips are 20k gold. The carnelian bi cone beads are 3.5 mm in length, 5 mm in width and have drill holes 2.3mm in diameter. They shows signs of chemical interaction with alkaline soil which typically whitens the surface and makes it opaque. Sixteen of the agate beads are over four thousand years old and the remaining three are over two thousand years old. The dimensions of the beads are as follows (beginning at the top right): 1. Length 2.1 cm. Width 6 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 3.5 mm. Gray, light brown and red color with a small chip on the side at one end. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 2. Length 2.3 cm. Width 6 mm tapering slightly to 4.5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 3mm. The bead was drilled from each end and the holes are off set where they meet in the middle. Transparent quartz with two milky white stripes. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 3. Length 2.6 cm. Width 6.5 mm tapering to 4.5 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 2.2 mm. Gray with very light brown and a paler gray central zone with three sharp white concentric lines surrounding the central zone. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 4. Length 2.18 cm. Width 6.8 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 3 mm. The surface is white from chemical interaction with alkaline soil. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 5. Length 2.2 cm. Width 1.18 cm tapering to 4.5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 2 mm. Transparent quartz with a slightly grayish cast shot through with red areas. The bead has been drilled from both ends and the two holes meet about three quarters of the way through. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 6. Length 2.22 cm. Width 8.8 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 3.6 mm. Pale orange translucent carnelian with concentric thin clear lines surrounding a central zone. This is a classic proportioned early period bead. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 7. Length 2.37 cm. Width 8mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 2.9 mm. The bead has been made so that the bands of color run lengthwise; opaque white, clear transparent quartz and a reddish brown zone give the bead a completely different color depending on which side is showing. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 8. Length 2 cm. Width 7.5 mm tapering to 5mm. The diameter of the drill hole is 2.8mm. Translucent gray agate with white zones and thin white lines in a transparent central zone. There are small areas of orange on each end. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 9. Length 2.3 cm. Width 7 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 2.3mm. The surface has been whitened by prolonged exposure to alkaline soil as it lay in the ground. Thin gray lines on each end border a central zone. The bead was probably originally clear quartz with white lines. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 10. Length 2.88cm. Width 5 mm. The diameter of the drill hole is 2.5 mm. The bead is a pale translucent brown with a white stripe in the center bordered by a darker brown thick stripe or zone. Thin white lines separated by clear quartz border this and the end is clear quartz. There is a patch of white staining from exposure to alkaline soil on one side. 11. Length 2.1 cm Width 8.1 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 3mm. The bead is a bluish gray with a central zone bordered with thin transparent lines. There is a small patch of white staining from exposure to alkaline soil conditions. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 12. Length 2.3 cm Width 7 mm tapering to 4.5 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 2.9 mm. Pale orange ends with opaque white lines bordering a central zone of clear quartz. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 13. Length 2.1 cm Width 7 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The diameter of the drill hole is 3.2 mm. The bead is almost entirely covered in an opaque white color that is the result of long exposure to alkaline soil. There is a black zone on one side and a small corner on the end of the bead that was unaffected, presumably due to a denser structure that did not allow water to be absorbed. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 14. Length 2.2 cm Width 7.5 mm tapering to 5 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 2.8 mm. There is a small chip at the hole on one end. The bead is orange and white with a central orange zone that is bounded by two white lines. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 15. Length 1.8 cm Width 6.2 mm tapering to 4 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 2mm. The bead is a translucent grayish quartz with brown areas with thin white lines surrounding a central zone. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 16. Length 2.4 cm Width 6.1 mm tapering to 4 mm at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 2.5 mm. The bead is whitened by long exposure to alkaline soil. There are two thin areas, one on each side of the bead, that were not affected. Early period, over 4,000 years old. 17. Length 2.6 cm Width 6 mm. The diameter of the drill hole is 1.8 mm. The bead lacks the tapered shape of the classic early period beads and the smaller drill hole also excludes it from this early period. More likely to be about two thousand years old, from the middle period. 18. Length 2.4 cm Width 6 mm tapering to 4mm. The diameter of the drill hole is 1.8 mm. The bead lacks the banding found in beads of the early period. It is a milky translucent quartz with a little orange color on one end. The smaller drill hole also puts it in the middle period, about two thousand years old. 19. Length 2.22 cm Width 5 mm tapering to 4.5 mm on the ends. The drill hole is 2 mm. There is white staining on the surface from long exposure to alkaline soil. The bead has areas of clear quartz that resisted the chemical reaction with the soil. The thin shape with lack of tapering and the somewhat smaller drill hole are two reasons to suspect that this bead is not from the earliest period but more likely about two thousand years old. The beads come from what is present day Pakistan. They are contemporaneous with the great Indus Valley civilization and certainly were influenced by that culture. They were part of a vast trading network that also included the Sumerians. The beads were highly desired commodities and the technological developments that made the production of these beautiful beads possible is a major achievement. The necklace is 69.2 cm (27 ½ inches) in length. The necklace weighs 40 grams.

Creator:
David Ebbinghouse
Metal:
Gold
Stone:
Agate,Carnelian,Lapis Lazuli
Stone Cut:
Bead
Weight:
40 g
Dimensions:
Length: 27.25 in (692 mm)
Style:
Artist
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
Unknown
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Many beads show signs of chemical interaction with alkaline soil (buried in the Earth for an extended period of time) which typically whitens the surface of the beads and makes it opaque. The beads in this necklace are in pristine condition.
Seller Location:
Bloomington, IN
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2425213786612

Glittering Sunstone and Dyed Blue Agate Beaded Necklace, 28 Inches

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Agate Amber African Bronze Long Necklace

By Giulia Colussi

Located in Milan, IT

Long necklace with antique dzi agate stone antique African bronze element, amber, frozen agate bids. 80 cm long. All Giulia Colussi jewelry is n...

Category

2010s Italian Artisan Beaded Necklaces

Materials

Agate, Amber, Bronze

Ancient Agate Barrel Beads with Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian, and 20k Gold Clasp

About the Item

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