07-16-2018 12:59 PM
I've never had beads like these. Does anyone recognize them, or know what they are and where they were made? They definitely look ethnographic. The necklace is very well made. Beads are on thick cord that looks and feels like cotton. I'm not concerned about the silvertone findings that create little dragonflies. I will test the metal but it doesn't feel like sterling to me. Mainly, I need opinions about the beads.
Thanks for sharing if you have any ideas.
07-16-2018 02:00 PM
My immediate thought was Tibet/Nepal.
07-16-2018 02:42 PM
Sorry ms. sellainy, I'm bead challenged but I can see why you were drawn to them. I've always liked the color combination of coral and turquoise. Very unusual and pretty!
07-16-2018 03:24 PM
If you do a google or ebay search on "turquoise and coral inlaid bone" you'll find similar bead necklaces and bracelets. It looks like a fairly recent trend, and they seem to be coming out of India.
07-16-2018 05:26 PM
@oncoyotemountainart wrote:If you do a google or ebay search on "turquoise and coral inlaid bone" you'll find similar bead necklaces and bracelets. It looks like a fairly recent trend, and they seem to be coming out of India.
India was my first thought upon seeing them. But WDIK?
07-16-2018 05:49 PM
They are coming out of Nepal.
07-16-2018 09:39 PM
Everybody, thank you so much! Finding something is a lot easier when you know what to call it. I found an almost identical one described as Vintage Yak Bone Buddhist Prayer Beads. I'm including the link so you will know how amazing you truly are, and someone else sent an email suggesting I try searching Tibetan Yak bone prayer beads. One click led to another and I eventually found this, for information only:
https://www.tribeazure.com/vintage-yak-bone-buddhist-prayer-beads
I would not have guessed dyed bones. Can Yak bones be sold on ebay? Here's an interesting tidbit: One site said the bones were collected from Yaks who had died peacefully of natural causes.
Origin seems confirmed as Tibet/Nepal, thank you, kpamber for pointing me in the right direction.
dream, you made me laugh. Guess I could say, I'm challenge challenged. LOL. Thank you for the compliment. Wish I could say I was drawn to these beads, but they just came to me, literally to my door. From someone aware of my interested in jewelry. Whenever he finds something at an auction and thinks I might like it, he brings it over. I have 9 of these from him now. I could identify all of the beads, except for these. The other ones have gemstone beads. Of the nine, I would like to keep three.
branddea, thank you for your input. Yes, I think they do resemble heishi - even the way they are strung.
OCN. thank you for the road map. I googled as you suggested.
07-17-2018 10:41 AM
I see lots of jewelry listings on Ebay that say "bovine" bone (which includes yaks) so it seems that it's OK to list as such.
07-18-2018 09:46 AM
Thank you, rubiano. I should have known that - thought the term was only used for cow bones. I'll do some looking around.
07-20-2018 09:20 AM
Yaks are domesticated, so they're not even close to endangered nor likely to be.