Antique Venetian drawn bead slices called Aja, 1-2mm thick by 10-14mm diameter. Three of my favorite colors all on one strand: Brick with yellow, Black w/ white and red, and blue with white and red. There's something here to go with most Venetian trade beads and they're the perfect size too.
Only one 22-inch strand. I bought these in the early 1990s as part of a Philadelphia collector's estate
Made in Venice, Italy, most likely early 1900s
To make these beads, striped glass canes are drawn out to great length while still soft. Once they've cooled they are sliced into sections just 1-2mm long, and these are heated until the edges are nicely rounded and smooth.
Collectors value these, and as a designer I like them too. I "frame" focal beads like amber, large brass beads and glass trade beads, with multiple slices and thin rondells of various sizes. Aja beads take those "frames" to a whole new level, adding interest by picking up colors in the focals, often made of the same glass.
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