This is a large antique drawn German marble bead with internal decorations which comes via the African trade. This German marble bead is in pretty great overall condition but does have a minor chip to one end near the perforation which has been somewhat smoothed out over time. This chip is shown in multiple pictures but is labeled in the last photo. This specimen measures 1.40 inches long by 1.46 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.
Great rare, hard to find specimen perfect for adding to any 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.