stone bead from Okanagan lake British Columbia

[Greenwood Charlie]

Hi guys and gals. New to this forum and quite happy to find this cool site.

I found a stone bead on a beach around Okanagan lake in B.C. Canada . I was finding small chunks of jade and I saw a weird small stone that looked like it could have a hole through.When I cleaned it later I was pleasantly surprised that it did and it was in fact a bead.
I am not 100% sure if its an old bead though? I feel it is but I would like to hear some opinions from those who actually know about these kind of artifacts .
Native peoples have lived around this lake for 1000's of years so it may explain its origins.

Thanks so much for looking!!!

 

[monsterrack]

can you post some pics of the hole. cool find, and what type of jade are you finding

 

[Greenwood Charlie]

Thanks man.
I am having a hell of a time getting a good macro shot. My samsung cam kinda sucks. On the LCD screen the image looks perfect and I can zoom in super clear. But once I upload to a computer the image just isnt all that sharp. My brother is a huge rock nut and has a mint cam for taking pics of minerals and such. So tonight were having dinner and I will get some better pics.

 

[monsterrack]

From what I see I think You have a drilled bead, it doesn't look modern to me. If the center hole is on any type of taper I would say yes for sure. Good find

 

[Greenwood Charlie]

Sweet!! The hole is defiantly not straight either. You can see the driller did not go exactly straight through but more on an angle.
This find has got me so stoked to hunt artifacts back home! My son and I scoured a local river for hours yesterday trying to find something else cool!
We found a few real nice agates, he found a perfect bottle from the 30's and I found a piece of obsidian!!! It must be from an old native as obsidian is not found here. I read the natives would have to trade tribes in Oregon, nor cal and northern BC to get it.

Going out with my boy again today! He was so proud he found that perfect bottle I think I may have found me a hunting partner!! So happy about that!!

 

[catherine1]

I think that rock has been eroded by nature. The erosion around the hole makes me think it is natural.

 

[Greenwood Charlie]

Yes it shows signs of weathering by h20 hence being found on a beach. Nature didn't drill it right through I highly doubt.
Can you show me signs it was eroded right through? I don't know , really ,that's why I posted this!

 

[monsterrack]

Yes it shows signs of weathering by h20 hence being found on a beach. Nature didn't drill it right through I highly doubt.
Can you show me signs it was eroded right through? I don't know , really ,that's why I posted this!

Maybe this will help This is a stone bead found by me last yr. notice how the hole goes from large to small, smaller part being on the inside and not all stone beads where made into a perfect shape.Pics not real good, but it's been a long day. Hope this helped

 

[unclemac]

I find many "beads" on the coast with that tiny hole in them...all are natural. but I know exactly what they are...yours does look natural but interesting all the same.

 

[Greenwood Charlie]

Hmmm well I guess it could be. If its natural I'm not too stoked then.
I admit I notice most if not all the stone beads I see on here are flat disc shape . Mine is not.
That's kind of a bummer.

 

[larson1951]

I think that rock has been eroded by nature. The erosion around the hole makes me think it is natural.

I find many "beads" on the coast with that tiny hole in them...all are natural. but I know exactly what they are...yours does look natural but interesting all the same.

hey welcome to the tnet greenwod charlie

i have to agree with catherine and uncemac on this one...............but like uncle says; it is interesting

keep hunting look for more spots.........if you put some more time in i think you will find out is good fun

larson1951

 

[Greenwood Charlie]

The one issue I have though is I took geology . So the reason things get natural holes is from having 2 different minerals ,with one harder and one softer. Obviously the softer mineral erodes first. But nature isn't that perfect.
Not sure if you guys and gal just glanced at the pic or if you really zoomed in. Not all my pics are clear enough to do this but when you do you can see it looks drilled from both sides. On my camera my pics are super clear so I can zoom right in.
I can see the weathering you all see, but its just surface weathering. I looked through the hole with a microscope, its not smooth like you see from water weathering. Its rough.
I am almost certain this beach sand is brought in from somewhere else being a tourist trap area.

Its my first find so its kinda special to me. :lol:
But if you can show me some examples of these perfect natural beads then I can see what your saying. I find holes in rocks all the time but they are never like this.
Thanks so much for looking though everyone. Please don't take my questioning as insults or that I don't appreciate your opinion. I just want to learn!

 

[unclemac]

give us nice close ups of both sides so we can see the hole better....us old guys have weak eyes. Also consider what would have gone through the hole and for what purpose. there is no archaic cotton thread to string beads on and a hole from a pre-contact bead is going to be large enough to accept a bigger (not sinew) sort of thread. Also consider that you have to drill that tiny hole with a very tiny drill bit. and consider that the bead itself is fairly odd shaped and unremarkable as a stone.

as for the geology of the thing, yes you are correct about how such things are formed...in most cases. The stones that I find on the coast that have similar small holes (but are not flat) are fossilized marine creature (most likely sand shrimp) burrow necks. the hole in the middle has eroded out and the "tube shape I guess) , is left probably as a result of how the animal made the casting in the first place. I find these in stone as well as in hard clay.

but give us more pictures and we will reevaluate.