CHEROKEE-SUMERLIN TRADE BEADS "THE BEST IN THE WEST"

Most Venetian millefiori beads were made for the African trade. Most were made during the early 1900's. This is not to mean that Venetian bead makers did not make millefiori prior to the eary 20Th entury, as they did. Venetian bead makers were making millefiori beads for better than 2,000 years or more. For some reason they quit making the bead and did not re-introduce it until the early 20Th century. Most of the millefiori beads traded to African peoples are now in America, in private collections ,and in museums. Many early 1900 beads have been held by private collectors and are just now making their way into the market place. I am talking about beads that were never been circulated until this year, 2008.

We have very carefully researched our Columbia River and Alaskan trade beads. At least to the extent that we could. Our beads have been looked at by leading experts and passed muster. We have traveled extensively in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska visiting with Native American peoples, visiting their Cultural Centers, making sure that the beads we see can validate the beads we hold. We have also visited private museums in the Northwest cross checking their beads with ours. One of the best museums with dozens of colored plates of beads traded in the Northwest and Alaska is: The Burke Museum at the University of Washington at Seattle. Below is a link to the Burke Museum on line visitors center. When you open this page click on "ethnology" department. Be prepared to view approximately 50 pages of beads, etc. http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/collections/index.php

These are two very intersting beads. Several year ago it was nothing to walk into an antique store and find both beads traded in Africa and beads traded in America. That is not too likely to happen anymore as most beads are now in the hands of collector or in museums. We came down off the east facing slopes of the Cascade Mountains and spotted a tiny antique store near the Yakama Reservation. While we were browsing we found 1/2 strand of these beads hanging in the back. Most certainly we made a quick deal and left with the beads. A year or two after that we listed two of the beads. Within a day or two we received an email from a bead collector stating that she owned the other half of this strand. And, she would sell them to us if we wanted them. Now we have a full strand and a few left over. The beads were traded on the Columbia River plateau sometime between 1854 and about 1880. These are very rare beads in that only a very, very few were made. I have yet to see another of this same bead listed on eBay.