Near help with glass beads from very old site in Virginia

[smokeythecat]

My one spot in Virginia was settled in the 1660's by European settlers. That said, the one rise above a spring would have been a fairly good lookout spot for native Americans. The host rock is limestone in the Shenandoah Valley. That said, there was a ca 1850 house there that burned down in 1863 or 4. I found a shale/schist broken Indian gorget on the top of the hill. No points. So...I found these three beads there. I found these over the spring. Plz take a look.



They are apparently of European manufacture and are glass. The first one is clear and has wear near each hole, showing long use and the glass has somewhat frosted. The second is a very, very dark color. Sometimes it seems to be black and iridescent and other times dark green, depending on the lighting. The third is definitely green. They are about 3/8" in diameter.

The question is, are they trade beads or did they belong to the lady of the house? Thanks for looking.

 

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[ToddsPoint]

Smokey, you're on a roll! I know little about beads but they look like trade beads to me. Gary

 

[smokeythecat]

Apparently I eyeballed these while moving some dirt around. I just bought a new bead book, but need a BETTER bead book.

 

[releventchair]

Hard telling.
A couple hint of being mandrel wound. IF the wire was coated with clay to keep glass from sticking , the cores were cleaned out. (?)

The history of trade beads and the move to Murano (let's not burn civilization down , get thee to an island instead..)as well as other places and the carefully guarded (under dire threat) trade in Italy ....Then the eventual establishment of crafters in colonial America is a fun study.
I'll quote it wrong , but it was stressed at one American place not to oversaturate the market and devalue the beads...
One place I lack info on was here in America. What thier beads looked like.

[In 1622, a glass factory was built near Jamestown, Virginia. Less than a year later, a raiding party of Indians burned the factory. Very few of the beads made in the Jamestown factory are believed to exist today.]

http://peachstatearchaeologicalsociety.org/index.php/13-beads/248-history-of-trade-beads

 

[smokeythecat]

Relevantchair, do you know a good source for northeast US found beads? I ASSUMED these were jewelry from the house owner, but now I'm wondering if I was wrong. Beads are kinda plain for a middle class lady from 1860. I recently got the big book "The History of Beads", but it's not very helpful. I need a seeing eye book so to speak.

 

[erfranks]

Nice Saves!!

 

[releventchair]

Relevantchair, do you know a good source for northeast US found beads? I ASSUMED these were jewelry from the house owner, but now I'm wondering if I was wrong. Beads are kinda plain for a middle class lady from 1860. I recently got the big book "The History of Beads", but it's not very helpful. I need a seeing eye book so to speak.

No.I don't.
My bead and archeological books are gone.
Been a while since down the rabbit hole of Italian , Dutch, African, Russian ect. beads.

I often ended up in Italy (by book anyways ,) as the anchor of higher numbers of trade beads. Even some called French.

Here's some pics,. Though you've likely been through them.
Beads traveled for sure. And sources for those who distributed them can vary. Or relate(!).
But multiple cultures and nationalities were in the game. And mixed beads could be from about anywhere.
Even from mixed rivals.

https://www.globalbeads.com/products/old-world-collection/venetian-trade-beads/

 

[cw0909]

smokey, found a couple of links how beads are made, might help date them
my only experience with beads was, made beaded jewelry on consignment
sold at headshop late 60s,bought in bulk

https://www.globalbeads.com/education/how-beads-are-made/
http://www.daacs.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/beads.pdf
some found in VA
https://www.virginiaindianarchive.org/items/browse?search=glass+beads&submit_search=Search

 

[crashbandicoot]

Smokey I know nothing about beads but I like old stuff,I like those beads, nice find!

 

[TimberCrack]

Great finds Smokey...the only thing I know about beads is the ones I find that are Indian Trade are almost all not uniformly made except for the brass ones..

 

[smokeythecat]

I did some (minimal) research on Victorian period beads, which the house dates to. The little seed type beads were extensively used on handbags and such. Better beads like pearls, mother of pearl, coral, and also intricate metal beads were used. I didn't see much on just plain out of round glass beads, so...they may be trade beads. I will look into it further.

 

[xaos]

Can you place them next to each other for a size reference between them...they look very precise...


What tribe would have been in that area?

 

[smokeythecat]

They are about the same size. I can use the micrometers on them. The Powhatan Confederation was east of them and the Iroquoian Confederation to the north. It doesn't exactly relate to "tribe" as it does out west. Apparently some of the Siouxan peoples lived a few miles from where I live and in the early 1750's moved west to the Great Plains.

 

[Elvis]

You are in some hot spots!!! I love to see your finds. Congrats!!

 

[smokeythecat]

I have numerous "spots" and when I get bored I go to a public beach. But I have to be really bored.

 

[smokeythecat]

The green one is .425" around and .285" tall. Dark one is .3925" around and .338" tall. White one is .370" around and .280" tall. White is more crude than the others, it is not totally round.

 

[billb]

Smokey. Not sure if it will help could you notify a town historian and perhaps they could research them or refer you

 

[smokeythecat]

Billb, there isn't a town there! Also, I took a microscope to them. They APPEAR to be the WOUND GLASS variety. That type was invented in the 14th century and their use was (generally) discontinued by the end of the 18th Century. That would date them older than the house that stood there.

 

[billb]

Smokey ...great idea to use a microscope.I don’t know again if it would help could you contact a museum or appraiser and hopefully they could help..
I sometimes watch antique roadhouse on Tv and they somehow always find someone who can identify items

 

[smokeythecat]

I really don't think they are worth much, and as far as a museum or such goes, I do not disclose a site, so...they would probably have no interest.