Aja (Striped Discs) Dark Blue 9-12mm

AFT-41

Regular price $149.00

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  • Antique Venetian drawn bead slices called Aja, 1-2mm thick by 9-12mm diameter. These feature dark blue base with fine red and white stripes plus a few bonus green and yellow ones at the back
  • Only one 25-inch strand available
  • Made in Venice, Italy, most likely early 1900s
  • To make these beads, striped glass canes are drawn out to great length while still soft. Once they've cooled they are sliced into sections just 1-2mm long, and these are heated until the edges are nicely rounded and smooth.
  • Collectors value these, and as a designer I like them too. I "frame" focal beads like amber, large brass bead and trade beads, with slices and thin rondells of various sizes. Aja beads take those "frames" to a whole new level, adding interest by picking up colors in the focals, often made of the same glass.