Collector's set of 7 antique, first generation 16th century Venetian Nueva Cadiz beads traded by the Spanish Peru.
Set includes two twisted beads 20x6mm and 20x5mm
Six rectangular beads: 1 each 50x7mm, 45x5mm, 30x5mm, 25x7mm and 22x5mm. All are in very good condition.
I bought these in antiques section of the Lima, Peru central market in the very early 1980s while I was in the Peruvian clay bead importing business.
The Nueva Cadiz beads were named for a Venezuelan site where they were found in quantity. They were brought to Peru by the Spanish in the 16th century.
Chemical analysis has recently confirmed that the 16th century Nueva Cadiz beads originated in Venice, while 17th century Nueva Cadiz found in in US and Canadian sites originated in Flanders.
An interesting recent doctoral thesis proposes that the South American Nueva Cadiz are so rare because the Spanish actually wore them rather than bringing them as trade goods.
The term "First Generation" seems to have been adopted for the South American beads (and possibly the 17th century US and Canadian ones as well) while "Second Generation" refers to the much larger, and later, blue rectangular beads traded to Africa, also known as "Nueva Cadiz"
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