Indonesia, Blue and White New Venetian Style Feathered Beads 22x10mm on 18-inch Strands
SKU: ASG-248
Sale price
$15.00
Shipping calculated at checkout
Only 7 in stock
Description
- Lovely Indonesian teal blue elongated oval beads, most 22x10mm, feathered with white and brown lines. Sold on 18-inch Strands.
- These latest Indonesian attempts to replicate Venetian feathered beads are the most similar. They seem to be wound beads, like the Venetian ones, the shape is the same, and the size and the colors are close.
- This is all great when you are paying $15 a strand. And I like to offer pretty beads at lower prices to people who appreciate them for what they look like, and don't especially care where they came from or how old they are.
- Replicas become fakes when someone misrepresents them. You don't have to look far on Ebay or Etsy to see these beads represented as Venetian for $50 to $90.
- Good replicas of beads normally only found only in museums or archeological sites have another benefit. They can disincentivize looting. I know at least one archeologist who has taught his digging crew how to make replicas of ancient beads during the off season. They then sell these beads to help support their work. The looters can no longer get high prices for the real thing, and the historical record is preserved. Win-win for the good guys.
- On the other hand when the replicas become too close to the original they can ruin the market for the real thing. People quit buying because the original has lost status or value, or because the fakes are so good that even experienced buyers are afraid of being duped so they just don't buy.
- That's not much of an issue in this case since real antique Venetian feathered beads are fragile and therefore rare and almost never in good condition, plus not that expensive. But I have known legit dealers of ancient Chinese glass or dzi beads who have suffered because of good replicas/fakes taking over the market.