Description

A superb collection of striped red white blue chevron glass beads,
Very old and rare beads made in Venice in the late 18th century and traded to Africa.
You will receive exactly the strand of the pics.
Collector strand, very interesting blue red white Chevron beads.
The length of the string is approx. 25 inches (64 cm.) from bead to bead.
Number of beads: 49
Approx. diameter: 13-16 mm.
Approx.weight is 260 grams.
These beads are old and show wear.

We use the term trade beads to refer to the European made glass beads that were used by the European merchants and explorers in the trade in Africa as from the 15th century and continued during their colonial expansion. The history of trade beads in Africa takes us then to the 15th century and the arrival of the European, mainly the Portuguese, to the coasts of West Africa. The European discovered quite soon how much the people they met there fancied beads and saw they an opportunity for trade. Amongst the beads that captivated the African people most were glass beads since the techniques for their making had not yet been developed locally. The locals fell for the precious and colorful glass beads such as Venetian millefiori or chevron beads that the European traders had on offer and bartered them for commodities such as precious woods, ivory, gold and even used, ignominiously, in the slave trade.