Italian Strand of Trade Beads

Green glass, with stripes, eyes and zigzags, strung like a small parade.

Glassmakers in Italy made these trade beads in glass. Italian glass beads were exported widely and often traded across Africa and beyond, where they were prized as jewelry. The strand mixes round, barrel and long tubular beads in green, black and white, some striped in spirals, others dotted with white zigzags and blue-green eyes. The glass has a soft, slightly matte look, and a cluster of white cord and pale beads forms the tie.

About 33 inches long. Loop it twice at the neck, or let it hang from a lamp.