Ancient Folded Bead, Round Black & White with Red Collar, Islamic Period, 22x18mm
Ancient Folded Bead, Round Black & White with Red Collar, Islamic Period, 22x18mm
Ancient Folded Bead, Round Black & White with Red Collar, Islamic Period, 22x18mm
Ancient Folded Bead, Round Black & White with Red Collar, Islamic Period, 22x18mm

Ancient Folded Bead, Round Black & White with Red Collar, Islamic Period, 22x18mm

SKU: GLA-84
Sale price $350.00

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Only 1 in stock

Description

  • Ancient black and white round folded bead with red collar, 31x36mm
  • From the Islamic period of glass bead making about 8th to 12th century
  • Ancient Syria is a likely origin for this bead
  • The folded glass bead technique was originally invented during the Early Islamic Period (about 700 AD) to imitate the black and white bands of popular natural agate beads.
  • Folded beads continued to be wildly popular until around 1400 AD when the European glass makers (Venetian and others) began dominating the field.
  • The technique was lost, but contemporary artists have been working to rediscover it. First, Jamey Allen recreated it in Fimo, then Tom Holland mastered it in glass. 
  • In brief, it involves a multi-step process in which a ring of patterned glass is folded in on itself with the result that the two sides (on both front and back) of the bead mirror each other.
  • Folded beads are often tabular, but also appear in round, and other shapes.