African Amber, Antique Diamond Shaped Carved From Oblate, 30x25mm
African Amber, Antique Diamond Shaped Carved From Oblate, 30x25mm
African Amber, Antique Diamond Shaped Carved From Oblate, 30x25mm

African Amber, Antique Diamond Shaped Carved From Oblate, 30x25mm

SKU: AFO-330
Sale price $35.00

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Only 1 in stock

Description

  • Antique African amber very rare bead carved from the standard oblate shape into a diamond in Africa, likely almost 100 years ago. 30x25mm.
  • Original perforation blocked, but probably not permanently
  • The holes at the pointy ends show smooth cone shaped wear, testifying to usage in a necklace. 
  • The bead is remarkably smooth considering it was reshaped, and that work was done very early because the new shape has had time to oxidize into the rich brown that characterizes the earliest beads of this type.
  • Held up to the light you can see one translucent section within the darker material. Also the lines that look like cracks have no depth or danger of breaking the bead
  • The material these vintage/antique beads are made of is an early synthetic called phenolic thermosetting resin. It was developed in 1910. Bakelite is the best known brand among several European manufacturers producing faux amber beads, jewelry and household products before World War II.
  • Phenolic resin amber beads probably started coming to Africa as a substitute for real Baltic amber in the 1920s and 1930s and trade lasted into the 1950s according to recent research by Rosanna Falabella.
  • Only one available