Antique Large Venetian Millefiori Mosaic Glass Trade Beads Pair, 28-29mm

Discover this beautiful matching pair of antique Venetian millefiori mosaic glass trade beads, a rare and captivating find that highlights the exquisite artistry of early 20th-century glassmaking. These large-sized beads are meticulously crafted with colorful millefiori patterns and were cherished as a form of currency in African trade. With their unique mosaic design, each bead showcases the remarkable detail and skill found in Venetian glass beads from this period.

Bead Size: Diameter: 28-29 mm Width: 12 mm

Condition: Very good, Lightly beveled with very minor chipping at the ends (please refer to photos).

The traditional millefiori (Italian for "thousand flowers") technique used to craft these beads was perfected in Venice, Italy, where skilled artisans arranged vibrant canes of colored glass to form intricate floral and geometric designs. This process was labor-intensive, involving the layering of molten glass, cutting into individual slices, and shaping the resulting patterns into beads. As a form of currency, Venetian beads were traded widely in Ghana and across Africa from the 1800s to the early 1900s, valued for their beauty and craftsmanship. Today, they remain an essential piece of African and trade bead history.

Explore more unique millefiori beads and antique trade beads in our collections:

• Current Millefiori Beads Collection
• Current Trade Beads Collection
• Archived Millefiori Beads Collection