Here is an intriguing bead I bought on one of my peregrinations (thanks K for the exotic word, so appropriate for this rare bead.)
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| Enigmatic Bead |
It literally landed on my lap, talk about bead affinity ! I did not choose it, it chose me :)Here I was bargaining hard with a Chinese dealer about other stuff when he pressed this bead on me to stop my bargaining. And I did acquiesce to his price. It was only back home that I realized what a great bead had come to me. Hope this does not sometime later, turn into a bead illusion when some myth busting expert comes along to dash my fantasy!
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| Illusion or Genuine Stuff |
Well illusion or not it looks like a specimen from the Chinese Neolithic age except I have not seen a similar bead to compare. Is it from one of the early cultures like Erlitou, Majiabang or Hemudu or is it a replica from modern times? What manner of man is this? I think its a peaceful man wherever he hails from. It's unfathomable expression magnetizes the onlooker like the Mona Lisa ! Ooops, just joking :)
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| that inscrutable expression |
I am not sure what material its fashioned from. The stone has a mottled appearance and is heavy and cold to the touch. The bead measures 2.3 cm long and is 3.6 cm across. The perforation is large, funnel shaped, drilled from both ends and tool marks are clearly visible.
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| Tool marks can be seen in the perforation |
While the face is 3 dimensional, the back is flat, uncarved and very smooth.
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| flat back |
Finally one more picture for viewers to enjoy and ponder !
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| A face to Enjoy and ponder ! |
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| Happy 2016 to Bead Lovers Everywhere! |
