(B) Scarce Large Antique Moon Bead Dutch African Trade

Description

Gorgeous antique African trade moon bead - this large bead has a diameter of 1 1/4” .
It is in excellent shape for its age - with a hairline fissure in the inside but it is not reflected on the surface of the bead at all . It’s a beauty.
It is widely disputed as to where these beads were produced: in either Venice, Holland, Germany or Bohemia …
Moody and ethereal, these opalescent beads were made around the late 1600s using lead hydrogen arsenate crystals . They kind of look bluish indoors but
in direct sunlight they often emit a pinkish orange hue
. See photo.