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Special Stock: Vintage Beads..nail heads, tri-cuts,striped beads, French metal beads, rose montees, white hearts, green hearts, French jet glass, greasy, satin & opal glass beads & much, much more! The beads on this page will change frequently due to the limited quantity of most of our vintage beads. We'll delete beads as we sell out, and we'll be adding beads when we find them. **For more antique beads, try these links: Antique Italian crow & pony beads& Antique Italian 16/0-24/0 seed beads.

If you've arrived at this page directly thru a Google search or a link on another site, click the link below, and then select the menu category you wish to visit and all will be good !

*Due to the limited supply and frequent change of inventory, all sales are final on antique beads. Thank you!

Ancient 6th-10th Century AD "Indo-Pacific Beads", 3mm ro 3.5mm transparent Indigo blue glass beads.

We purchased these from our very trusted bead trader. He refers to them as "Indo-Pacific beads", discovered in digs in Northern Cambodia. They were most likely produced in Arikamedu, India with ancient Roman glass. He stressed that they were quite a remarkable find, not only are they incredibly beautiful & old, it is unusual to find loose beads strung with all similar beads. They are usually strung in mixed colors of loose beads, when they are this old.

Ancient transparent indigo blue glass Indo-Pacific bead(6thAD-10thAD) strands are some of the most beautiful & exquisite beads we have ever come across. The stunning transparent indigo blue glass shades from very dark to a lighter blue. They will take your breath away! Strands are 22" L & the beads are 3mm to3.5mm

*** If you would like to learn more about the fabulous Indo-Pacific beads, check out the following link to the Center For Bead Research at the Bead Site:

Antique Italian White Hearts: These beautiful crow sized [6mm to 8mm] white heart beads were made between 1840 and 1900. You may notice that the holes vary in size and the beads are unique in shape. This is a reflection of them being hand pulled and cut ..... on the island of Murano, Italy. We had these once before .... back in 2003.

We have tried and tried, but the images do not do them justice. Due to the opaque white core of the beads it is virtually impossible to to capture the true color and depth of the transparent outer layer of glass. The amber ones are lighter and more yellow colored than the image shows. Both the amber and the orange beads have a distinctly more transparent appearance than we can capture in the images. If you don't like them, you may return them.

Vintage bamboo : These are short [2mm diameter x 5mm long] tubes. There are at least 1200 pieces per hank and the whole hank weighs about 5.5 grams. Very light weight ! The hank consists of twenty 10.5 inch strands. That's a lot of bamboo beads ! We estimate them to be from the 1960's.

Vintage Czech: We have never seen this color of nail head before, and we're always happy when we can find unique beads for your bead projects. The color goes really nicely with the opaline lavendar seed beads ! Unlike modern hanks of 13/0 beads, these lavendar beads come in the old fashioned 10" hanks.

These beautiful French white hearts were made about 30`` years ago. They are not as old as the Antique Italian white heart beads, but they are so pretty we just had to have them !

These vintage sequins were made in Belgium in the 1950's and were found their original hanks. They are sold in a nine inch strand [approximately 1200 pieces.]

These are very finely detailed vintage beads. Our source tells us they imported them from Japan in the late 1960's/early 1970's.They are 20mm [3/4"] long and 6mm in diameter. The images are enlarged to illustrate the nice details.

These are 12mm [7/16"] in diameter ... the images are enlarged trying to show you the nice details. All of the designs are delicately outlined with gold color. Even the petals of the flowers have a fine gold color outline.

We use the term "satin" do describe the appearance of the beads. The beads appear to have lines inside the glass which give the beads somewhat of a satin like finish. They are not truly shiny, and they are not matte. It is really a unique looking appearance. They are strung in 3" hanks, which suggests they were made between the 1930's and the 1950's .... allowing for the disruption for WWII.

WHITE HEART BEADS: Two layer bead with a translucent outer layer (usually red, orange or pink) and a white inner layer. Most white hearts are antique and very collectible. The rose colored white hearts have become very scarce. Our last reliable source for them exhausted their supply about three years ago. We feel very fortunate to have found these beautiful 7/0 beads for you !

These neat vintage glass loops were made in the 1960's and are quite light weight. They are approximately 21mm [7/8 inch] by 14mm [5/8 inch].

Sweet made in Japan mother of pearl bugle shaped beads from approximately the late 1960's to early 1970's. They are a nice creamy color and some have a hint of rainbow to them. The rainbow will appear in the slightly darker stripe you see in the 2 beads on the left sideof the image.

Vintage cut, hex, faceted, grooved 18/0 beads ! These are uniquely made beads to say the least. To start, they are 18/0 in diameter and 1.1mm in length [about the size of a 16/0 bead.] They are flat cut on the ends like a 2-cut; and, the nose of most are slightly rounded like a bullet. They are hex shaped, and many are faceted. Then most are grooved on the flat hex surfaces. All of this on beads 1mm in diameter ! The colors are rich and beautiful in person.

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Vintage Japanese glass flowers with 1 1/2" to 2" brass wire stems, made some time after WWII and we think before 1970. These nice flowers come in two sizes: yellow ones are 16mm [3/4"] in diameter; and, the transparent blue ones are 12mm [1/2".] The blues are made to resemble a flower that has not fully blossomed. With the wire stem you can be embellish your creative beadwork with flowers; the wire is small enough to go through size 14 beads; you can shape the stem into a loop; or, you can bunch the flowers together into a bouquet.

Very pretty machine cut drops made in Czechoslovakia in the 1950's ! Found in the original packaging that indicates they have a "titania" finish. Titania is an AB finish, but since that term [Aurora Borealis] was first used by Swarovski, the Czech maker chose to call their finish titania. The cuts on these drops are consistent and very concise. The size 15mm x 9mm is approximately 1/2" high and 3/8" diameter. The hole is horizontal at the top. Sold in pairs @ $ 4.00/pair.

The Czechs' were, & still are, the masters of the cut glass beads!

Vintage Czech tri-cuts. Below we have a hematite size 12/0 glass tri-cut, a gorgeous dark green iridescent 12/0 glass tri-cut, a beautiful very dark transparent root beer-garnet 11/0 glass tri-cuts, and a pretty transparent periwinkle 11/0 tri-cut. They are all sold on hanks with 10 loops of beads@ $5.00ea.

Vintage Italian unique "unfinished" seed beads. Most are sizes 12/0 and 13/0; and, produced in Murano, Italy some time between 1930 and 1970. Generally the final step in the seed bead making process involves tumbling the beads. This process polishes the beads and, depending on the amount of time they are tumbled, rounds the edges somewhat. These beads did not reach the polish stage["unfinished",] so the colors have a rich, deep appearance. For example, think of the color of old Coke bottles [1955 ?] and imagine it is cherry or garnet instead of green.

We love the richness of the colors and the unique shape of the Antique Italian seed beads !

Antique Italian mid-19th Century hand cut small pink pony size beads ! Antique beads can be a little wider on one side than the other [see image], creating a unique look to your artwork ! Sizes 3mm to 5mm. Sold in 20" strands.

Vintage Pre-WWII Japanese size 12 seed beads. These beautiful subtly lilac color lined glass seed beads were made in Japan by the Hiroshima bead factory in the 1930's. This same factory made the nice amber colored beads and the red/orange beads. The lilac color is inside the glass so it will not wear off . The outer glass is clear.

Vintage Italian Bead Mixes

In the late 1800's several Italian bead making families formed a Society in Murano, and pooled their resources in an effort to make their combined business more efficient and profitable. Some within this group had been making beads in Italy since the early1800's. This group maintained the business until about 1980, at which time they sold all of their remaining beads. Some beads were sorted by color and size, and you have seen many of those on our WEB site. As the time drew nearer to move the beads, they were simply shoveled into wooden crates and no care was given to sorting them nicely by color, thus the seed bead mixes you see here !

If you don't mind sorting some beads, these can be a good deal for you !

There are approximately 225 grams in a half pound. Using a 20 gram package of beads sold retail at $ 3.00 as an example, a half pound of beads would retail for $33.+. Some of our size 11 Antique Italian beads retail for $ 3.75/ 10 grams.

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$ 11.50/ a half pound !

Here are some specifics for these Italian Seed Bead Mixes:

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Seed Bead Mix 5: Sizes 9 & 10. Predominant colors are whites and yellows, with shades of blue, greens, reds, oranges, and clear. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead Mix 6: Sizes 12 & 13. Predominant color is white[some as small as 16/0]; with greens, reds, blues, yellow, orange, and black. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead [HEX Shape] Mix 10: Mostly size 12, some as small as size 14. Some opaque, some silver lined, and some have a metallic finish. Colors: bronze, red, orange, pink, greens, blues, yellows, black.

Seed Bead Mix 12: Sizes 6 to 13. Predominant colors are oranges, reds, and yellows with some blues and greens. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead Mix 13: Sizes 6 to 13. Predominant color is many shades of blue; with some reds, oranges, greens, and white. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead Mix 14: Sizes 11 to 13. Predominant colors are oranges and reds; with some brown, black, blues, and greens. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead Mix 15: Sizes 11 & 12. Predominant colors are reds and oranges.Some opaline whites; some 2-cuts. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead Mix 16: Sizes 11 & 12. Very old beads ! Whites, oranges, rust, greasy colors, pink, several shades of blue, some opalines. Mostly opaque.

Seed Bead Mix 17: Sizes 9 to 12. Mostly 11/0's and 12/0's.Very old ! Predominant colors are blues and whites; some turquoise, reds and oranges.

$ 11.50/ a half pound !

Vintage 1930's Czech very dark blue iridescent hex cut beads. Sometimes referred to as "oil slick" color. These beautiful beads are size 11 in diameter and 2mm in length.

Antique Japanese 1915 Silvered Glass [aka Mercury Glass] They are 3 inches in length; 4mm to 5mm in diameter; and, thick walled glass. At this time we have them in two shades of green. The hole is 2mm to 3mm. You creative beaders will come up with many ways to use these unique tubes ! If you have a color preference[light or dark shade] , please tell us that as a note in the comment box during the check-out process.

Vintage Czech luscious 11/0 Greasy Lime Seed Beads ! We last had these nice beads about a year ago and we're really pleased to find more of them for you ! They have a nice deep look to them.

Vintage Czech: Found in Italy, these nicely molded Czech flowers can make nice additions for your bead projects !

Antique Italian mid-19th Century Hudson Bay 2-Cuts ! These Antique beads were hand cut as long ago as the mid-1800s.

Vintage Beautiful pre-WWII Japanese 22K gold-foil glass in sizes 9 and 11. Would be nice together in a graduated size piece. Sold in 10 gram bags.

Antique Italian stunning bronze color 2-cuts. These rich beautiful "petite" Italian 2-cuts, range in size between a 14/0-15/0. Limited supply!

Antique Italian metallic silver (finish) glass seed beads. They have a heavy silver metallic finish. They range in size 12/0-13/0.

Antique Italian gorgeous crystal/lined violet glass seed beads. They are about a size 14/0. The violet color is stunning! Sold in 5 gram bags.

Antique Italian beautiful amber/lined charcoal-blue glass seed beads. These are also about a size 14/0..also very stunning seed beads.

Sold in 5 gram bags

Antique Italian 22K lined matte glass seed beads. They are between a size 14/0-15/0 & are sold in 5 gram bags.

Antique Italian opaque blue & white stripped glass seed beads. The stripes are not painted but are actual glass. They are round with very petite holes (about a 12/0). They are amazingly uniformed for their age (80 to 100 years old). They are some of the nicest glass seed beads we have found..love those Italians!

Antique Venetian early 19th century opaque porcelain-white glass beads. These are nice old Venetian white glass beads. The color has a rich depth to it. These are gorgeous old beads ! The beads are 3mm in diameter & the hemp strands are 25" long.

1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

Vintage Czech stunning 6 sided 6mm bronze glass bugle beads. These vintage bronze bugles would add elegance to any beaded piece.

They are sold in 10 gram bags.

Antique Venetian "needle" glass bugles. These very thin (1.5-2mm), & long bugles (60mm) are not only gorgeous but rare. We have had customers ask us about these slender & long "needle" bugles for years. These actually came in the original venetian box they were stored in. Sold in 10 grams bags & apporox. 25-30 bugles.

The colors are luscious.

Transparent & opaque antique Venetian needle bugles.

Silver Lined antique Venetian "needle" bugles.

.Late 18th century Italian Green Hearts, the original "white heart" (we've been told). These very rare glass beads are mostly brick red with green centers. They are rough cut & some beads have glazed finish & some have a wonderful transparency to the outer layer. The more you handle them and massage the beads, the shinier they become. They are not only beautiful old beads but are also collectible. They are about a size 12/0 in diameter. Sold in 10 gram bags.

1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

NAIL HEADS: They are so named because the tops of many are shaped like a "hammered nail head". Most likely they were used in the French garment industry (1920-30). Nail heads are collected by people who love & search for old beads. We are always looking for beautiful old nail heads. Great for bead embroidery, embellishing & creating unique jewelry. Nail Heads are molded glass and were made (1890-1960) in the Czech Republic.

NOTE: The beautiful golden bronze nail heads were reputedly last made about 1910.

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1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

Vintage Italian transparent honey amber hex cuts. These yummy beads are between a size 11/0-12/0. Sold in 10 gram units.

Vintage Czech molded glass "flat backs" most likely were first used in the French garment industry (1920-30). These are very similar to nail heads, just different shapes. Also great for bead embroidery, embellishing & creating unique jewelry.

Here are so very cool 1 hole & 2-hole "sew on beads". These are glass versions of the old "Jet" beads. They were made in the Czech Republic in the 1920's & 30's primarily for the French Garment Industry. "Real Jet" (made from coal) was much too soft to be practical for this purpose. Below are various shapes of the "glass jet" we have found..great for embellishing and bead embroidery.

1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

Beautiful vintage Czech transparent gold amber 2-hole glass hearts.

1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

Vintage Czech 13mm-14mm yellow and orange striped glass cane bugles. Again, because they are old, they range a little in size and thickness. The color is fantastic, almost edible and the walls on the bugles are nice and thick (3-4mm).

1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

Antique Italian (100+years) tiny 16/0-22/0 seed bead mix. Some of the mixes have a few antique French metal beads included. These tiny bead mixes are perfect for embellishing bigger beads or making flowers and leaves for bead embroidery. Its a good way to see the range of colors we offer and the exquisite beauty of these beads without having to buy a lot of different colors. You will need to use a size 16 needle and "00"nymo thread. These beads were cut and blown by hand and each bead is unique.

1 Inch --------------= 25.6 MM

Vintage "metal backed" glass called "Rose Montees". The Rose Montees have 2 holes in the back center of the metal (Silver Color except when noted). The round ones have 2 holes cris-cross on the back and the marquis shaped ones have 2 holes that lie parallel to each other straight across the back of the metal . The gorgeous glass is held to the back with 4 metal prongs. These particular Rose Montees were tagged, made in Germany, made in Czechoslovakia and even some made in Austria ... yes.....by Swarovski.

	*Ancient* transparent indigo blue glass Indo-Pacific beads 3mm-3.5mm sizes vary on the strands
Item ID:IndoPacific1Size:-3.5mmPrice: $30.00 Qty.