All You Need To Know About Antique Beads

By Author: Britney Simpson
Total Articles: 31
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Beads that are over a century old or even more are said to be antique beads. They are very rare today and can be bought online sometimes from other bead collectors. You might also find some antique beads on buttons or used as embellishments on clothing that has been discarded and is of no value because the fabric has deteriorated. There are quite a few collectors of African beads who are passionate about the origin or time period when the beads were manufactured.

The early antique beads from the Far East and Europe are very much prized as also are the African beads and many die-hard collectors go on building up their collection as they get their hands on more and more of these antique beads. The ancient African beads are not really used in beaded jewelry today as they are not only rare but expensive as well. And depending on how old they are, they could be easily broken. Hence it would be risky to even try to thread them lest they break and you lose them forever.

If you want some tips to identify the antique beads, you must bear in mind that the ancient beads like trade beads have bigger holes. The manufacturing ...
... processes of today are capable of making things including holes on a tinier and more accurate scale while the craftsmanship in the olden days could only make holes of a bigger scale. Although the holes are normally much bigger in the antique African beads, the smaller 16-24 sized seed beads are no longer produced today as it takes up too much of labor due to their very small size but were made several centuries in the past.

These seed beads are only available as antique beads today. These small antique beads were used in the olden days to make the most exquisite of purses. And collectors of course, would normally buy them just to admire. These tiny seeded African beads are extremely difficult to use and you can sew through a bead only once. They are very hard and difficult to work with in any kind of project. These antique beads normally would be bought as part of an antique item itself. Because of their small size and being tedious to work with, they are definitely not sought after for modern day projects.

These antique beads should have an exterior that has been exposed to the environment over a long period of time. They should definitely look worn and aged but still in pretty good shape. The hole of such African beads should also show evidence of some wear from having been strung; you can look for some erosion at the core. If you have a strung necklace, make sure you have a knot on either side of each antique bead. For the cheaper beads, it doesn't really matter if you lose some so knotting will depend entirely on your taste.

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