Javanese Jatim Bead Strand

Thirty-odd beads of turquoise-blue glass, each one weathered to a sugary crust.

This Jatim bead strand is Javanese, from East Java, Indonesia, and dates to the 8th / 9th century. It is glass. Jatim beads, named for Jawa Timur, East Java, are generally associated with the early Javanese kingdoms and are usually found in archaeological contexts. These are large round beads in shades of turquoise and sky blue, their surfaces pitted and coated in pale, sandy encrustation. One bead carries a faint looping trail of applied decoration. They are strung in a single graduated row. It is 12 inches long.

Old glass that has clearly seen a few centuries go by.