The Chevron bead is considered the king of beads. This highly coveted bead is named for the repeated ‘V’ shape pattern on its ends.
The first chevrons appeared in the glassworks of Murano, Venice in the late 1400s. Once all of the layers had been assembled, the glass was heated and stretched into a long cane. After a period of cooling, the cane was cut into short segments which became the individual bead. The bead’s ends are beveled, ground, and polished to reveal the chevron pattern.
Chevrons are also called ‘rosettas’ or ‘star’ beads.
These famous glass beads were transported by Europeans to many countries in Africa to trade for skins, spices, gold, diamonds, etc. Africans then traded them amongst themselves, using beads as a form of currency.
This old bead has some glass loss on inner core as can be seen in the photos.
Length: 1 9/16" x Diameter: 1 1/4"
