A standard method of shell and stone bead-making was to drill the flat pieces first.
The stones would then be strung together, all jagged and uneven.
Your area is known for the use of the flatter metates and mano stones for grinding. (most of No. Amer. used the mortar bowl and pestle)
Those flat metates are perfect for rolling a string of uneven bead stones. (shells too)
The result is a string of evenly matched circular beads.
Individually, these would show much grinding and smoothing around the edges ... if you think of a string of beads such as this, it's only the edges that are going to show, the sides are hidden, and only need to be flat to mesh with the next bead.
This method produced round, matching beads, without any jagged edges that might catch or snag on things while dancing.
Your bead fits the style and stone of the area ... Hohokam was one of many groups using this style.
Nice find !
