Necklace with Celtic Eye Beads

Culture: Celtic

Period: 5th-4th century B.C.

Material: Glass

Dimensions: 47 cm long

Price: Sold

Ref: 5116

Provenance: Collection D.D., Lower Austria.

Condition: Eye beads consistently in excellent condition. The string should be replaced prior to wear.

Description: Necklace consisting of 38 yellow eye beads. The "eyes" are of blue glass surrounded by white glass circles. Some beads are with double pairs of eyes. Between the eye beads a small light- or dark blue glass bead. For the making of these so-called layered eye beads different colored glass rods were fused, then cut in small pieces and pressed in a hot matrix. Finally the ring beads were smoothed and polished. There are still scientific discussions about the place of manufacture. One approach is that these beads are imported objects, which were probably made in Greece or Egypt. Strung on a textile band.