Interesting older Ornament articles on beads
January 13, 2015
Jamey D. Allen traces cane production for millefiori beads to the late 1400s in “Cane Manufacture for Mosaic Glass Beads: Part II,” Ornament 6: 1, pages 13 and 23.
Marie-Francois Deloarodiere describes how Mautauria beadmakers try to imitate millefiori beads to this day in “Mautaurian Beads,” Ornament 8: 3, pages 27-32. This article profiles the work of Lalla Aichia, one of the few remaining beadmakers in Oualata. In the same issue, Robert K. Liu examines how cylindrical millefiori trade beads were broken into smaller pieces and perforated for stringing by Mauritanian women in “African-Made Glass Beads: Survey and Experimental results,” pages 52-57. Koli (cooked) beads were cooked in a pot with vegetable matter and then ground, turning opaque, so that they would be more aesthetically acceptable to Ghanaian consumers.
Peter Francis Jr. offers up a humorous look at the industry of forging beads in “Bead Report XIV: A Collection of ‘Phoenician’ Beads,” Ornament 8: 4, pages 45-48.
“Special Pictorial: Historic Photographs of a Venetian Bead Factory,” Ornament 9:3: pages 50-53.
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