Conch: Beads made from the inside of a conch shell, revered in Buddhist lore as its often used to call people to prayer. White is also the colour of ascendency in Buddhism.
Heishi: Tiny flat circular beads used as spacers.
Ida Oberstein: Beads cut and ground in the German Ida Oberstein factory, late 1800’s. Beautiful faceting and patina.
Patina: Soft shine or wear from age.
Repousse: A method of beating a pattern into silver, from the rear of the piece, so that the design appears on the other side.
Snake Vertebrae: Interlocking glass beads made in Bohemia late 1800’s, in a pattern that resembles snake vertebrae.
Trade beads: Beads made in Europe – Venice and Bohemia – pre 1930 for the African trade. Beads were exchanged for palm oil, nuts, gold, and even slaves, from the late 1700’s – early 2oth century. In those days a human life was bought for a string of glass beads. Many beads came from Murano, an island off Venice.
Many subcategories of trade beads. Millifiore means thousand flowers and were made from blending glass canes.
Vulcanite: Tiny flat heishi beads made from the remnants of old gramaphone records pre-1950.