How much is a Russian blue worth?

[Kmercer87]

Found a beautiful Russian blue trade bead off the Cape Fear River at a french colonial home site. One of my favorites and not wanting to sell but jw what the value of these are?

 

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[yeahboiantiques]

Pictures?


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[kansa54]

I'm no bead expert but I wouldn't think they are worth much. I find a lot of them and I think they are fairly common. Hopefully someone can give you more info on them. They are pretty beads though and congrats on finding one.

 

[Hot diggity]

it's worth whatever someone will pay. I only have 1, so there ain't much chance gettin' my only one. If I had doubles & u were my friend...it's cheap

 

[dogteam]

It depends very much on the bead. The oldest ones are a deep transparent cobalt blue, no layers, quite large (1/2-3/4 of an inch) and a small centre hole and thick walls. I've only found them on the west coast, however. Prices have risen from when I was collecting ($1/ea) to up to $20 or more. Like I say, depends on the bead and the buyer. Market has been flooded with african beads, the lighter blue opaque ones, and the ones with a light "core". I'd buy as many of the good ones as I could get my hands on, but there just don't seem to be any around. I've been bugging west coast dealers for years, and all they have to offer are fakes and africans.
kansas54, you say you find a lot of them, sure would like to see a pic...!

 

[flintlock]

Some are selling full strands anywhere from $75-$350 but these were all traded to Africa. The originals are usually Venetian and originals will have seven sides with cuts on the ends creating a crisp diamond effect on the sides. Original beads are always snapped from a cane. This snapping creates a smooth or clean glass break on the end of the bead. Copies are molded and they tend to have a duller edge and the ends are more rounded. I have found a few originals over the years and they are very beautiful trade beads!

 

[BIENER]

Interesting, I found a blue bead just like that. Had no idea what it was. Thanks!

 

[BIENER]

 

[dogteam]

Just saw a couple of the good ones on ebay, west coast provenance, one for $35, one for $50. I love them, but way too rich for my blood.

 

[BARKER]

Hi; The variables on Grading the Value of these pieces are many but there is a General guideline. The 1st Factor is the Depth and Conformity of the blue in the piece. The deeper the blue the better. If the piece has several different shades of blue on it then it is considered an Inferior piece. The 2nd Factor is if the piece is chipped or broken then they are considered junk. The 3rd Factor is if the piece is holed on the top, sides or length wise. Those that are holed length wise are considered more valuable due it being considered harder to create. Those holed on top or side are considered to be of less value. The 4th Factor is determined by looking through the hole. If is perfectly smooth then it is more valuable. If it is rifled in any manner it is considered to be of less value. The 5th Factor is the smoothness of the piece in all areas. The rougher they are the more they are liked because smoothness is considered to be made via a type of Mass Production ok. The 6th Factor is AGE. The older they are the more valuable they are. flintlock described the method of determining age of the piece very well. The rougher the Design lines are the older the piece is ok. The 7th Factor is the Size or length of the piece. The bigger the better ok.
The African beads though in demand are considered far less valuable than the Original Russian Blue pieces. Reason is that the African pieces are considered Mass Produced where the Russian pieces were made in far fewer numbers thus scarcer.
These pieces were worn by the 1800's Aristocracy as a Status Symbol and used in Trade in the 1800's Frontier as well. The more you had the richer you were.
VALUES: A top graded piece can fetch as much as $90 each on todays market. Hence a whole strand would be far more expensive ok.. I hope all this info helps assist in your determining values. Collectors are known to buy one or Hundreds at a time ok. Good Luck. PEACE:RONB

 

[Ia.FurTrade]

Hi; The variables on Grading the Value of these pieces are many but there is a General guideline. The 1st Factor is the Depth and Conformity of the blue in the piece. The deeper the blue the better. If the piece has several different shades of blue on it then it is considered an Inferior piece. The 2nd Factor is if the piece is chipped or broken then they are considered junk. The 3rd Factor is if the piece is holed on the top, sides or length wise. Those that are holed length wise are considered more valuable due it being considered harder to create. Those holed on top or side are considered to be of less value. The 4th Factor is determined by looking through the hole. If is perfectly smooth then it is more valuable. If it is rifled in any manner it is considered to be of less value. The 5th Factor is the smoothness of the piece in all areas. The rougher they are the more they are liked because smoothness is considered to be made via a type of Mass Production ok. The 6th Factor is AGE. The older they are the more valuable they are. flintlock described the method of determining age of the piece very well. The rougher the Design lines are the older the piece is ok. The 7th Factor is the Size or length of the piece. The bigger the better ok.
The African beads though in demand are considered far less valuable than the Original Russian Blue pieces. Reason is that the African pieces are considered Mass Produced where the Russian pieces were made in far fewer numbers thus scarcer.
These pieces were worn by the 1800's Aristocracy as a Status Symbol and used in Trade in the 1800's Frontier as well. The more you had the richer you were.
VALUES: A top graded piece can fetch as much as $90 each on todays market. Hence a whole strand would be far more expensive ok.. I hope all this info helps assist in your determining values. Collectors are known to buy one or Hundreds at a time ok. Good Luck. PEACE:RONB

Good info, Ron! Thanx!!

Iowa Dale

 

[Ice Scratcher]

Good info, Ron! Thanx!!

Iowa Dale

X2, a bunch of great information there...

Thanks for taking the time to share all that...

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