$8.00 for 12 strands

How retro! 48″ endless strands of Glass Love Beads from the 60’s. There are twelve strands in a set for one low price. You can take apart the strands and use the beads, or just sell them as is. Unfortunately, you can’t pick the colors you want, since they come mixed and assorted as the representative photo shows. The sizes of the seed beads range from very small to…well, small.

Japanese glass pearls

Sold by the strand
Japanese glass pearls are the finest in the world of all the “faux” finishes.
Some strands are longer than others and will be noted.

10mm Round Cream Color Very smooth. 50 beads on a strand Price: $10.00
8mm Round Cream Color 16″ strand Price: $7.00
10mm Round Japanese Glass Pearl Beautiful Copper color Lovely dimpling. 27 beads on a strand Price: $10.00

Czech glass pearls

Smooth and Faceted Round: 4-8mm

per 16″ strand
4mm (100 beads) = $3.00
6mm (65 beads) = $4.00
8mm (50 beads) = $5.00

Small hole, colors not available in all sizes
See Shopping Cart for details,

Large Smooth Pearlized Glass Round: 10-16mm

per 8″ strand
10mm (20 beads) = $5.50
12mm (16 beads) = $7.00
14mm (14 beads) = $9.00
16mm (13 beads) = $12.00

Faceted Pearlized Glass: 8mm

$5.00/strand (50 beads)

Available Colors

See also our faux pearls

Carved Glass Charm Beads

12 charms on 12 strands
Sold out! Sorry! This page is now for informational purposes only.

We were, frankly, stumped when we got these from Japan. There are 12 colored glass charms hanging from 12 strands. Mostly women’s faces and horses. We’ve asked around and have come up with some very interesting theories about these, some of which we will print here, including a very interesting theory that they might not even be Japanese. That perhaps these were actually Chinese and sold in Japan since there was trade there some time back.

As for uses, they can probably be sold as is and the uses are endless: pull strings for ceiling fans, wine glass “charmers”, prayer beads, kimono sash pull, charms for a charm bracelet, pendants, good luck charms, amulets, talismans.. the list goes on and on.. Of course, you can always just pull them off the strands and use them for jewelry making. 🙂 We do know that these are very old, dating pre-war, or perhaps even before. They are all hand carved glass beads with a little metal ring on the top to hang them as charms

Size of each charm is about 10-12mm in length and about 9mm wide. The glass beads are faces of women (almost like Cameos) and horses (maybe), and some of the strands contain elephants and roses. Each strand is knotted and the 12 strands are held together with a thread. Color of the strands is optional, they may be red, yellow, blue, green… no choice.

Answers on a postcard, please…

We were flooded with suggestions as to what they might actually be. Here are the best.

• June Williamson – “This is just a guess – wish my aunt was alive – her husband was the cultural minister at the embassy in Tokyo. Would they be an accessory to a kimono – each separate and tied onto the obi? As I say – just a guess…”
• Liz Winterbourne – “Are they animals related to the signs of the Chinese Astrology system? There are 12 animals to the system and they could have been kept on this piece of string in order to keep them safe and then one of them removed depending on what year it was (for example the year of the monkey) then carried either as an amulet or talisman for good fortune.”
• Joanne D’Antonio – “Aren’t those *worry* beads? You know..,you keep them in your pocket and fiddle with them when your stressed???”
• Claire Boone – “I believe that the origin of these beads is most likely Chinese — even though they were purchased in Japan. There was much trade between China beads and Japan. In The History of Beads, plate #155 illustrates a similar sort used as ojime beads that were used on the pouches of obi robes with a counter-balancing weight (The History of Beads, pp. 166). These would be the much later ojime, when the regular classes began to use ojime — the most precious are carved netsuke. Here the carving ofhuman and animal faces is imitative of netsuke. All of the beads could hang together indicating wealth, and counter-balanced by weight. It would be interesting to know if these beads are jade or carved glass and would help to date them more precisely. The chapters on China and Japan are most helpful in The History of Beads: see plate #189 for ojime with kagamibuta and imagine your strand replacing the netsuke. The other end of the piece would hold the counter-weight. You mentioned colored glass — so I would expect these to be from early 19th century when “Glass ojime were frequently worn by the less affluent classes.” (The History of Beads, p.179)
• Rebecca Tapley – “Many cultures carry or string little amulets for luck, for health, or for protection. This is why (for example) you see so many scarab beads, pendants, and bracelets in Egyptian jewelry – the scarab beetle had special meaning (I think it was for protection). But this is also the reason why some Arabs carry the Hand of Fatima, or Buddhists will carry a small image of Ganesh or the laughing Buddha.”
• Moyia Zamora – “These are exactly what you said they were, very old colored glass charm beads!”
• Patricia Lynn Lovett – “Just a guess but I’d say they represent the “Gods” and are used as some kind of prayer bead. Or in a special ceremony. Sorta looks like Bhudda too.”
• Robin Reid – “Regarding your 12 charms of unknown origin (I know, you know they’re from China, but work with me here). I think they might be related to Astrology. Kinda like Aries, Pisces, etc., only the Chinese version instead, one for each month. Just a guess. Or, if in the group of 12 there is a monkey, a snake, a dragon, a pig, a dog, etc., it might be the representations for the different Chinese years.”
• Aya Ando – “I couldn’t see the photo well – they’re monkeys….am I correct? And if they are putting their hands on their noses or mouths or ears? Maybe…called NETSUKE, and if they are monkeys, it is “mi-zaru, kika-zaru, iwa-zaru”, which means “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. They are very famous and traditional monkeys in Japan. Please go to the website“.
• Lori Smith – “My guess is that they’re some sort of prayer beads. Both of the two major Japanese religions (Shinto and Buddhism) use prayers beads from what I know. Sometimes a nice large bead or pendent like this is attached to their strand of small, plain prayer beads (they’re used as their equivalent of a rosary). Other times larger beads or stones are carried solo and used in prayer or like we would use a worry stone. I admit this guess is based mostly on observation instead of actual knowledge. I’ve been to Japan before and I would see locals with their prayers beads at the various temples. Since I don’t speak Japanese I couldn’t exactly ask, but that’s the gist I got from my view. Hope this helps!”
• Pam Weaver – “I think they are possibly Chinese zodiac symbols. I have only seen them bundled together. There are twelve of them. The only picture I could really tell was a horse (I think). They are as follows: Dog, Pig, Dragon, Horse, Rabbit, Monkey, Ram, Rat, Tiger, Ox, Rooster, Snake. I hope that I at least came close. Let me know!”
• Asahi Japan Collectibles – “We could be wrong, of course, but this doesn’t seem to be Japanese…”
• Joni Stevens – “I have no proof, just a guess. I would think that with the number of beads, 12, that it is possibly some sort of counters to be used to mark the dates. Like the Japanese calender. Like the year of the horse, rat, etc. My other quess, would be prayer beads. They are linked together like a rosary or greek worry beads. Good Luck!”
• Wen Hsu-Chen – “These might be netsukes (used in Ancient Japan as amulets and to tighten sashes and strings in their attire) They a were commonly carved from jade, ivory and other similar materials. Never have I seen Netsukes in glass…but that might just be a variation due to the introduction of a new (cheaper) technology. If the drill goes from “head to toes” longitudinal through the bead, it is definitely a netsuke. And you mentioned in strings of 12. Which animals are in each string? If it goes like this: Rat, Ox, Tiger, rabbit (or cat), dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig…it’s the 12 animals of the asian zodiac. If not, I think I can see a white fox and a blue slipper among them? Japan has many symbols in everyday life artifacts and animals, usually they are homophone to words of good fortune, good luck, longevity and such.”

• Dr. Judith N. Rabinovitch, Karashima Tsukasa Professor of Japanese, Language and Culture,University of Montana – “The beads appear to be Chinese, not Japanese. I collected antiques in China for a period of year and note that those pink cotton cords are often attached, with antique wax seals, to many of my objects. Those pink cords are not normally used in Japan, in my experience. Moreover, in many many years of scouring Japanese antique stores, I have never seen amulets of this sort. They appear, more over, to have a folk-art “roughness” of the kind often seen in Chinese carvings, more so than in Japanese carvings, which are often quite finely detailed.”

VERY OLD JAPANESE GLASS BEADS!

$10.00 per strand

Beautiful vintage glass beads from the late 1940’s. Tag says “Made in Occupied Japan” on the Periwinkle, Green and Turquoise colors. On the Red and Black glass, the tag says “Made in Germany-U.S. Zone” – this actually means they were strung there, the beads themselves are still from Japan. These glass beads are hung temporarily on string: there are approximately 71 beads on the graduated strands which range from 4mm to 12mm, and 100 on the 4mm strands.

The color is beautiful and vibrant. There is much history in these beads, they’ve been around a long time and have been well cared for. Please note that the tags are in great condition. These are from the 40’s and most of the strands still have the originating tags attached. Excellent condition considering their age. We were so pleased to come across these since the workmanship on the older glass is always a pleasure to look at. As for uses, they can probably be sold as is for collecting purposes. Of course, you can always just pull them off the strands and use them for jewelry making. 🙂

Vintage Japanese Glass Graduated Strand 4mm-12mm
Very Old, WHITE “Made in Germany” on Tag

Vintage Japanese Glass
Graduated Strand 4mm-12mm
Very Old, RED
“Made in Germany-U.S. Zone” on Tag

Vintage Japanese Glass
Graduated Strand 4mm-12mm
Very Old, ALABASTER COLOR
“Exquisite Technics Made in Occupied Japan” on Tag

Lampwork Beads from Around the World!

Use in your most precious designs.
Stock is limited. Priced as marked

Chinese Handmade Lampwork Beads: 6mm

Sold by the bag – $10.00 (100 beads, assorted colors)

Czech Lampworked Glass Oval Beads

All handmade in the Czech Republic

11x8mm Foil Oval $1.25 per bead Colors available: Gold, Green,Silver and Pink (not pictured) Blue, Aqua, Lilac and Pink/Silver
12x8mm Flower Oval $1.25 per bead Colors available: Black, Purple, Blue, Teal and Pink

India Handmade Lampwork ANIMAL Beads: 15x25mm

FISH and TURTLE Assorted Colors: Bag of 10 $4.00
Assorted Colors (our choice)

India Handmade Lampwork Beads

$15.00 per bag of 50 (single color only)

10mm Cubes (6 Colors) Available in Amethyst, Lilac Kelly Green, Olive Click on the picture to see colors Bag of 50 pieces (One color) = $15.00
11x15mm Byzantine Glass Barrel 2 Colors: Aqua, Emerald Green Bag of 50 pieces (One color) = $15.00
10mm Byzantine Glass Round Amethyst Bag of 50 pieces = $15.00

Lampwork Glass Beads

$12.00 per strand

Lovely handpainted beads from India
23-27 beads per strand, except where stated.

#021 EMERALD GREEN 10mm ROUND	#031 LIGHT GREEN 10mm ROUND
#032 25mm Heart	#022 COBALT BLUE ROUND
#028 15mm CHERRY RED CANDY DISCS Handpainted with gold stripes
#034 10x15mm Oval Clear/Red/White	#035 10x15mm Oval Red
#036 10x15mm Oval Amber	#043 10x15mm Oval Emerald Green
#045 10x25mm Oval Amber 14 beads per strand	#046 10x25mm Oval White/Gold 14 beads per strand
#047 10x20mm Tube White/Brown 19 beads per strand	#048 10x20mm Tube White/Black 19 beads per strand

Round: 4-6mm

4mm (100 Beads) – $3.00
6mm (65 beads) – $3.50

Beads are drilled through, and have a synthetic colored coating.
Colors available are:

1850: Blue/Black	1851: Smoky Topaz
1852: Ruby Red	1853: Yellow
1854: Blue	1855: Green
1856: Dark Amethyst	1857: Light Amethyst
1858: Light Rose	1859: Matte White
1870: Orange

$1.00 per gram, or $150 per pound (our assortment).

All handmade in the USA.  Each bead weighs between 0.5 and 3.6 grams. Because the shapes and sizes of the beads vary enormously, there’s no definitive answer as to how many you get in a gram.  If you give us an indication to your preference, we’ll do our best to skew your selection in that direction.

Click on picture to see close-up!

Round 4-10mm

4mm=$5.00
6mm=$6.00
8mm=$7.00
10mm=$9.00

Made in the Czech Republic. We are running down stocks on these items, so not all colors may be available. Also available (for the moment!) in white.

Flower beads: approx 10mm diameter

$18.00 per strand (38 beads per strand)

These are available in five beautiful colors.
Detailed carving depicting beautiful daisies
will make gorgeous accent beads on any custom design piece

Available Colors
Click on the pictures to see a close-up

Citrine Yellow
Sapphire Blue
Peridot Green
Amethyst
Cherry Quartz Glass

See also our glass flower pendants and gemstone flower beads