Ancient Islamic glass bead 34c11mm black with wavy white lines.
A very nice bead in excellent condition, would look great with some gold, which is how many of the ancient glass and stone beads were strung. Structurally this is among the most stable shapes of ancient beads and I wouldn't be afraid to wear it
A member of the very large family of black and white Islamic glass beads
Invented around 700 AD these were intended to replicate the very popular, but more expensive, black and white banded agate beads. Eventually the black and white folded beads and other became "their own animal in the jungle of bead styles" according to one famous bead. researcher.
I'm guessing this bead is actually imitating an earlier style of "drawn" or "feathered" beads in which a pin is drawn through still molten parallel stripes around the bead to create the look of a feather. However, it's possible that these wavy lines might have actually taken more skill to create than straight lines.
I admit I am not an expert on ancient glass. I do the best I can to research the bead with reliable sources, but I'm always open to learning more from true experts.
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