Pair of Vintage Polished Hardstone Beaded Necklaces. Pair of matching necklaces of strung hand-made beads of various colors, shapes, and materials.

Size: 1 1/2 x 16 1/2 in. 

#2352 . 

Trade beads, used as a medium of barter within and amongst communities even to this day, are thought to be one of the earliest forms of trade between members of the human race. Their early trading may be one of the reasons why humans developed language. In the 16th Century glass beads were used as a token money to exchange for goods and services throughout the Americas. The beads became integrated into Native American jewelry using various beadwork techniques. Trade beads were also used by early Europeans to purchase African resources, including slaves. Many beads were made throughout Europe to assist explorers in traveling through unknown territories where they were likely to encounter native people, although the Venetians dominated production. In February 2022 archaeologists discovered that Venetian-style glass trade beads had been found at three prehistoric Eskimo sites in Alaska, including Punyik Point. Uninhabited today, and located a mile from the Continental Divide in the Brooks Range, the area was on ancient trade routes from the Bering Sea to the Arctic Ocean. Researchers believe the likely route these artifacts traveled was across Europe, then Eurasia, and finally over the Bering Strait, making this discovery the first documented instance of the presence of European materials in prehistoric sites. After radiocarbon dating materials that were found near the beads, archaeologists estimated their arrival on the continent to some time between 1440 and 1480, predating Christopher Columbus. 

These two necklaces are a stunning example of the diverse shapes, sizes, and materials used to create the beads, with similar patterns and structure but having individual features.