Jewels

A lovely old silver ring from Afghanistan. Features a delicate granulated work with small side cabuchons and a large central one with a carnelian stone. 

An old Afghan silver ring featuring a lovely carnelian central cabochon and an attractive granulated decoration. Fantastic patina. 

A beautiful and elegant old silver and carnelian agate ring from Afghanistan.The cabochon houses a precious agate carnelian stone bead held by a silver rod. Carnelian beads from the Indian subcontinent are documented in deposits as disparate and distant as the Niger basin or Mesopotamia and in times as old as the Sumerian civilization.

A beautiful and elegant old silver and carnelian agate ring from Afghanistan. Carnelian beads from the Indian subcontinent are documented in deposits as disparate and distant as the Niger basin or Mesopotamia and in times as old as the Sumerian civilization.

A beautiful and rare antique silver ring from Afghanistan. Its singularity lies in the ancient so-called Dutch chevron glass bead in the central cabochon that would have usually had a stone attached.

Dutch chevron glass beads are produced  in the eighteenth century in the city of Amsterdam in order to imitate rock crystal and other precious stones in the trade with the African and American colonies.

Nice patina

An old silver with white stone cabochon ring from Afghanistan. 

A beautiful old silver ring with a wonderful banded agate stone cabochon from Afghanistan. The banded agates are very sought after and appreciated by the people of the Hindu Kush, Karakorum and the Himalayas, since they consider that they attract good luck.

A beautiful old silver and carnelian agate ring from Afghanistan. Nice patina.

Simple yet great Tuareg silver and cornaline ring (tisek). It features a nice engraved side decoration. It is also ocassionally used as a hair ornament. Great patina. The Tuareg are a nomadic Berber (amazigh) group that lives in the Sahara Desert. Mid-XXth century.

It can be used like pendant.

An outstanding old silver and mother of pearl cabuchon Afghan ring. Just beautiful!

An old silver with bakelite resin cabochon ring from Afghanistan. These type of rings usually have an agate, turquoise or lapis lazuli stone but it was probably lost over time and was successfully replaced by this cheerful yellow color. 

A beautiful old silver ring from Afghanistan. Features a large central cabochon with an rare color agate stone. Nice patina.

A charming old turquoise and silver ring from Afghanistan. The setting is formed by a rosette of little silver domes with a lovely central turquoise cabochon.

An old silver Afghan ring featuring a lovely green glass. Simply beautiful!

A lovely old silver ring with nine small set turquoises and coral beads. Its shape and design clearly recalls of the Bedouin rings from Oman and other areas of the Arabian Peninsula. The Kuchi nomads (of Pasthun ethnicity) cross the vast territory that goes from Iran to India, so their creations are always rich fusions of different styles. Unique.

A lovely old silver and carnelian agate ring from Afghanistan. The granulated composition forms a hollow space that was traditionally used to hold a piece of cloth soaked in perfume and that would serve to scare away evil spirits. Beautiful patina.

A joyful Afghan old silver, turquoise and resin ring. These multiple cabochon rings, double, triple or even quadruple, are very characteristic of the Kuchi people, nomads of ethnic Pashtun who travel the vast territory between Iran and India, making their creations a rich mixture of influences.

A beautiful old silver and carnelian agate ring from Afghanistan. Nice patina.

A beautiful old silver and carnelian agate cabochon ring from Afghanistan.

A beautiful old silver ring carved with arabesques and carnelian agate cabochon from Afghanistan.

Beautiful and original antique silver ring with eight small colored glass cabochons and a bigger central one with a turquoise stone. It combines influences from Southern India, Nepal and Afghanistan. The Kuchi nomads (of Pasthun ethnicity) cross the vast territory that goes from Iran to India, so their creations are always rich fusions of different styles. Unique.

A beautiful and rare antique silver ring from Afghanistan. Its singularity lies in the ancient so-called Gabri glass bead in the central cabochon that would have usually had a stone attached.

The Gabri glass beads are from the Islamic period, that is, between the 8th and 12th centuries. Produced in the Middle East and spread through Central Asia with the expansion of Islam.

A beautiful and rare antique silver ring from Afghanistan. Its singularity lies in the ancient so-called Gabri glass bead in the central cabochon that would have usually had a stone attached.

The Gabri glass beads are from the Islamic period, that is, between the 8th and 12th centuries. Produced in the Middle East and spread through Central Asia with the expansion of Islam.

A beautiful and rare antique silver ring from Afghanistan. Its singularity lies in the ancient so-called Gabri glass bead in the central cabochon that would have usually had a stone attached.

The Gabri glass beads are from the Islamic period, that is, between the 8th and 12th centuries. Produced in the Middle East and spread through Central Asia with the expansion of Islam.

A beautiful and rare antique silver ring from Afghanistan. Its singularity lies in the ancient so-called Gabri glass bead in the central cabochon that would have usually had a stone attached.

The Gabri glass beads are from the Islamic period, that is, between the 8th and 12th centuries. Produced in the Middle East and spread through Central Asia with the expansion of Islam.

A beautiful and elegant old silver and carnelian agate ring from Afghanistan. It is clearly seen in the polished cabochon stone the double tracing of the hole that indicates that it was used as a bead for a necklace and that it is undoubtedly much older than the ring itself. Carnelian beads from the Indian subcontinent are documented in deposits as disparate and distant as the Niger basin or Mesopotamia and in times as old as the Sumerian civilization.

A spectacular old silver and carnelian ring. Features a precious filigree square base that could very well have been a Zar ring from Oman. The cabochon houses a precious agate carnelian stone bead held by a silver rod. The Zar rings from Oman protect against the evil one (Jinns) and are used in the exorcism ceremonies. Beautiful patina.

A charming old turquoise and silver ring from Afghanistan. The setting is formed by a rosette of little silver domes with a lovely central turquoise cabochon 

A wonderful old silver and turquoise Afghan ring. Balanced granulated work and a large cabochon that houses a beautiful turquoise stone. Lovely patina.

A Very original set of one hundred and two vintage gilding bath silver beads from the skillful hands of a Mauritanian artisan. Uniques!

Avarage diametre between 5 and 7mm

Three superb vintage biconic gilding bath silver beads from Mauritania. Made by lace filigree. Very original!

Average measures 22mm long by 8mm diameter.

Four beautiful vintage bi-conical tabular gilding bath silver beads featuring granulated filigree work decoration. Very original!

Average size 23x11x6mm

Superb gilding bath silver beads necklace. It features the characteristic and intricate granulated and filigree decoration of the Mauritanian goldsmiths. Second half of the 20th century.

Central bead measures 17mm in diameter and the smallest 7mm.

A set of four joyful lamp work Venetian fiorà trade beads from the first half of the XIXth century. Their name comes from their characteristic floral or flower decoration that in a captivating array of colors and motifs is distributed on the main body of the bead which, in this particular case, is of a nice opaque black color.

Approximate dimensions (larger bead): 12mm x Ø14mm.

Also referred to as decorated fancy beads, fiorate or fiorà, these Venetian lamp work glass trade beads are amongst the most attractive we may find. Their main feature is their flamboyant and joyful floral or flower decoration using a rich variety of colors and patterns: feather, bow tie, bouquet, dots, spiral (here we have to mention the well-known Lewis & Clark beads named after the explorers who first traded them with the tribes they found on their expedition from the East to the West coast of the United States in the early 1800s), linear, filigree, etc. They were mainly produced as from the first half of the 19th century. They are usually round or oval shaped.

We use the term trade beads to refer to the European made glass beads that were used by the European merchants and explorers in the trade in Africa as from the 15th century and continued during their colonial expansion.The history of trade beads in Africa takes us then to the 15th century and the arrival of the European, mainly the Portuguese, to the coasts of West Africa. The European discovered quite soon how much the people they met there fancied beads and saw they an opportunity for trade. Amongst the beads that captivated the African people most were glass beads since the techniques for their making had not yet been developed locally. The locals fell for the precious and colorful glass beads such as Venetian millefiori or chevron beads that the European traders had on offer and bartered them for commodities such as precious woods, ivory, gold and even used, ignominiously, in the slave trade. The increasing demand in Africa of European made glass beads continued quite until the first half of the 20th century and it had a boosting effect in the production in cities such as Venice which glass beads became very popular and coveted.

A superb strand of sixty eight trade glass biconical beads, most of them are “eye beads” inspired on the much more ancient Islamic type, and five of them with linear decoration are the so called “King beads” by English merchants or Gololo by West Africans. These types of beads were made in Venice as from the beginning of the XIXth century using the lamp work technique. They were made in a variety of colors combining an opaque glass, solid color core (yellow, burgundy, black, green, etc.). These beads were among the most important ones in the gold trade in Africa.

The biggest bead is 16mm long and 23mm diameter and the smallest 10mm by 12mm.

We use the term trade beads to refer to the European made glass beads that were used by the European merchants and explorers in the trade in Africa as from the 15th century and continued during their colonial expansion. The history of trade beads in Africa takes us then to the 15th century and the arrival of the European, mainly the Portuguese, to the coasts of West Africa. The European discovered quite soon how much the people they met there fancied beads and saw they an opportunity for trade. Amongst the beads that captivated the African people most were glass beads since the techniques for their making had not yet been developed locally. The locals fell for the precious and colorful glass beads such as Venetian millefiori or chevron beads that the European traders had on offer and bartered them for commodities such as precious woods, ivory, gold and even used, ignominiously, in the slave trade. The increasing demand in Africa of European made glass beads continued quite until the first half of the 20th century and it had a boosting effect in the production in cities such as Venice which glass beads became very popular and coveted.

Lamp working is one of the main techniques for the making of glass beads. Lamp or lamp work beads were made using glass canes that were reheated to a temperature of up to 1000 ºC by means of a blowtorch or blowlamp and which were then wound onto a coated iron rod to avoid the molten glass from sticking to the metal. The beads produced by the artisan by these means could be then further decorated by re-heating the bead using the same lamp work method and applying colored glass rods or glass cane inserts to the surface of the bead creating an endless variation of patterns and making of each bead one of its own.

Lovely strand of fifty seven trade glass biconical beads. These type of beads  were made in Venice as from the beginning of the XIXth century using the lamp work technique. They were made in a variety of colors combining a opaque glass solid color core (yellow, burgundy, black, green, etc) on which linear decoration was applied in a lively combination of colors. These beads were known in the trade a “King beads” and also, locally, as Gololo beads. These beads were among the most important ones in the gold trade in Africa.

The biggest bead is 20mm long and 22mm diameter and the smallest 12mm by 13mm.

We use the term trade beads to refer to the European made glass beads that were used by the European merchants and explorers in the trade in Africa as from the 15th century and continued during their colonial expansion. The history of trade beads in Africa takes us then to the 15th century and the arrival of the European, mainly the Portuguese, to the coasts of West Africa. The European discovered quite soon how much the people they met there fancied beads and saw they an opportunity for trade. Amongst the beads that captivated the African people most were glass beads since the techniques for their making had not yet been developed locally. The locals fell for the precious and colorful glass beads such as Venetian millefiori or chevron beads that the European traders had on offer and bartered them for commodities such as precious woods, ivory, gold and even used, ignominiously, in the slave trade. The increasing demand in Africa of European made glass beads continued quite until the first half of the 20th century and it had a boosting effect in the production in cities such as Venice which glass beads became very popular and coveted.

Lamp working is one of the main techniques for the making of glass beads. Lamp or lamp work beads were made using glass canes that were reheated to a temperature of up to 1000 ºC by means of a blowtorch or blowlamp and which were then wound onto a coated iron rod to avoid the molten glass from sticking to the metal. The beads produced by the artisan by these means could be then further decorated by re-heating the bead using the same lamp work method and applying colored glass rods or glass cane inserts to the surface of the bead creating an endless variation of patterns and making of each bead one of its own.