This is a large antique drawn German marble bead with internal decorations which comes via the African trade. This German marble bead is in great overall condition with some surface wear including some surface dings. Typically these marble beads are in very rough shape when collected from the African trade and this specimen is quite a fine example for this bead type. This specimen measures 1.32 inches long by 1.43 inches wide.
Antique German marble beads were made in Lauscha, Germany and are drawn beads. In 1849 a German by the name of F. Greiner perfected the technique of making marbles by inventing a tool called the ìmarble scissors which were used for shaping and perforating. This invention lead to the making of marble beads. Most antique marble beads available for collecting today are badly fractured which makes high quality marbles a rarity.
Perfect for adding to your African trade bead collection or for jewelry applications. I combine shipping on multiple buys so please be sure to check out my eBay store Mountainamma's Marketplace where I have thousands of items to browse through. For buyers of multiple items message me before checkout for help combining shipping fees.