5 French "Ambassador" Indonesia Trade Beads Loose Smith Collection For Sale

5 French "Ambassador" Indonesia Trade Beads Loose Smith Collection Other Names Trade beads, floral bead Type of Object Wound and decorated Made In Venice Traded In Africa Approximate Age Late 1800s, early 1900s Overall Condition Excellent. Some of these beads have traveled at least three continents, and have graced numerous owners. Small chips, corrosion, and pitting are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use. Bead Size 20-24 mm in diameter. See photo with ruler for size comparison. Brand Unbranded Style "French Ambassador" Type Loose Beads

Indonesian excellent copies of traditional "Ambassador" Trade beads. Includes 5 loose beads with each order.

The term "Trade Beads" typically applies to beads made predominantly in Venice and Bohemia and other European countries from the late 1400s through to the early 1900s and traded in Africa and the Americas. Many of these beads have been attributed to being made in Germany, France and the Netherlands as well.

The heyday of this "trade" period was from the mid 1800s through the early 1900s when millions of these beads were produced and traded in Africa. The Venetians dominated this market and produced the majority of the beads sold during this time. The J.F. Sick and Co, based in Germany and Holland was one of the largest bead brokers/importers during this period. Moses Lewin Levin was a bead importer/exporter who operated out of London from 1830 to 1913.

The popularity of these beads was revived in the late 1960s when they began to be exported from Africa into the United States and Europe. The term "Trade Beads" became very popular during this time period and is still uséd for the same bead reference today. The millefiori beads were also called "Love Beads" and uséd in necklaces with peace symbols during the Hippie days.

As the popularity and availability of these old beads grew they started getting "named". We started hearing terms like "Russian Blues", "Dutch Donuts", "King Beads". Although some of these folklore names are totally meaningless...ie...."Lewis and Clarke" beads, they do describe a specific type of bead.

And today these beads are more popular and collectable than ever. Thousands of these beads are in private collections around the world. The African Traders are having to go deeper and deeper into Africa to find more of these beads and many styles which were readily available just 5 years ago are no longer seen today.

There are exceptional museum collections of trade beads at the Museum of Mankind in London, the Pitt River Museum in Oxford, the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Belgium, the Murano Museum of Glass in Italy, the Tropical Royal Institute of Amsterdam, the Bead Museum in Arizona, US and the Picard Trade Bead Museum in California, US to name a few.

One of the most intriguing aspects to these beads is how they have survived a hundred or more years of wear and the travel through at least three continents. Another mystery is who wore them before us and who will have them next.......after us.

Provenance: The Smith Collection

A passionate collector, Dave Smith was first introduced to the trade bead industry in the 1970's. It was during this decade where he fell in love with trade beads for the next twenty years. Trade beads became a priority in his life, and he attended many rendezvous, both buying and selling. At his core, Dave was a healer and he was an esteemed bodyworker, using alternative approaches to healing the body. Dave's bead collection has been in storage for more than 20 years...the condition of the beads is superb. Africa Direct is honored to be able to share his collection with the world.

AG1222

**144761**

All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2023

Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers!
Please visit our About Us page.

Africa Direct, Inc. has been selling on since 1997 and has received more than 56,000 positive responses. It is owned by Eliza and Sara, who began the company after spending a year wandering southern Africa in a camper van with their multi-racial family. They have been honored with 's Hall of Fame award, and by Giving Works, through which they have raised more than $125,000 in charity sales.

Customer Service: We treasure our many long term customers, and will try to make you one of them! If you have problems, please tell us... we care!

Handling Time: We ship daily except Sundays and holidays. Most orders go out the same day, and all go out within 48 hours.

Returns: We want you to be happy with your purchase. You're welcome to return an item within 30 days in the same condition you received it--just let us know you're returning it. You may have either a credit or a refund for your purchase price, not including shipping both ways. If your original payment was made through PayPal, we'll refund you through PayPal; if you paid us directly with your credit card, we'll refund the credit card.

Combining Shipping: You are welcome to wait to pay, and to combine multiple items for shipping. We ask that you keep each order to 10 days or 10 items, whichever comes first--then start another order.

When you're ready, just send us a list of item numbers or an invoice request and we'll send you an invoice. You can pay by Paypal or credit card.

U.S. Shipping: Our staff take great care in packing our artwork, much of which is antique, irregularly-shaped, and fragile. The cost of labor and the special packing materials uséd is reflected in our shipping price. Our U.S. shipping charges also include insurance; we self-insure on smaller orders. For these reasons, our shipping and handling charges may be more than the price of postage. .

International Shipping: We ship dozens of international orders each week, to customers on every continent except Antarctica! The shipping charges included in our listings are for U.S. orders. Contact us for shipping charges to your country. We offer uninsured USPS First Class airmail, insured Priority airmail, and insured Express airmail to most parts of the world, depending on the weight, volume, and value of an item. We also ship via FedEx or DHL on request.

Import duties, taxes, and charges are NOT INCLUDED in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to offerding / buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them for additional shipping charges. And please do not ask us to mark merchandise values below the actual value or mark items as "gifts"--U.S. and International government regulations prohibit such behavior.

Newsletter, previews and special offers: Sign up for our newsletter

Go to Africa Direct Store

integration by