30 research outputs found
More on Frit-Core Beads in North America
This article publishes new findings on frit-core beads in North America, including an initial assessment of their chemical composition. Two new find sites have been added to the inventory, bringing the total to 19. In addition, two new types have been recorded, each with variants. The bead from one of the new sites comes from a context later than the date range attributed to this bead category. Its significance is discussed
Evidence of Early 17th-Century Glass Beadmaking in and around Rouen, France
Material evidence of a local drawn-glass beadmaking industry was uncovered in the old section of Rouen, France, in 1869 during street construction. Composed of production tubes and wasters (most of which exhibit evidence of a speo heat rounding), the material is attributed to the early part of the 17th century. It is significant as many of the recorded varieties have correlatives at archaeological sites in eastern North America occupied during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. These include a 7-layer chevron, Nueva Cadiz varieties, and frit-core beads. It is, therefore, quite possible that some of the American specimens may have originated in northern France and not just Venice or Holland as is commonly believed
Archaeometrical Analysis of Glass Beads: Potential, Limitations, and Results
Over the past few decades, several new analytical techniques have been used to determine the composition and the likely production centers of glass beads found at archaeological sites around the world. Made since antiquity, glass beads are important artifacts which can provide much more information than their small size suggests. This article reviews the most common analytical techniques used to study glass beads - optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray fluorescence (XRF), instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and Raman spectroscopy - and discusses their potential, limitations, and what results may be expected