Antique Venetian beads made late 1800s or early 1900s for the African trade
Chevrons have been considered so valuable that even when they broke, they were salvaged. The one bead in this set is flat on both sides, the rest have one flat end and the other slightly rounded.
The edges have all been smoothed, intentionally after cutting, or maybe just from wear. They are over 100 years old after all.
The salvaging was likely done in Africa, but it's also possible that beads that broke during the grinding process, or showed flaws like trapped bubbles were salvaged by cutting them before they were ever shipped to Africa.
To learn more about the history of the famous chevron bead, see AFT-199
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