Millefiori Antique Venetian Trade Bead, Elbow, Cream with Bear Claw Murrine, 60x13mm
SKU: AFE-1818
Sale price
$55.00
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Only 1 in stock
Description
- This extra large antique Venetian elbow bead measures 60x13mm
- It's a classic Bear Claw (aka Bear Paw) design. I've always gravitated toward the Paw vs Claw name, but in the murrine at the far left I really see how it looks like bear claws so I'm going to stick with that name from now on.
- The lines, visible at right are not cracks, just the dividing lines between sections of cream colored strips of glass that were laid down over the black core of the bead before the murrine were added.
- A bath might remove any dirt that has gotten in and make the lines less visible, but either way they are nothing to worry about.
- If you do clean this bead, or any bead, be gentle! Harsh cleaning can remove the wonderful patina that the best of these old beads have. Pro tip: Beads that have been too aggressively cleaned can be revived with a very light coat of coconut oil. Unlike other oils it does not get rancid, absorbs fully, and solidifies at room temp.
- These are early beads from the Venetian trade that went to Africa, but apparently also to the Canadian and US Mountain West, where today they are highly prized by Mountain Man and other re-enactors of history.