Questions on imitation pipestone beads

[Russ Nobbs]

Hi Luann,

You've touched on one of the problems of giving African beads a stock number and expecting them to be the same from batch to batch. Even the recent beads (as I think these imitation pipestone are) vary because they were sold into Africa over a range of years. I think this is a case of 2 similar looking beads selling as the same kind.

Our African goods were made 10, 20, 50, 100 or even 200 years ago. Since we don't buy from "the manufacturer" or even the "manufacturer's rep" we are at the mercy of whatever beads the African traders find and bring to the states. It makes for an interesting process.

Sometimes we make new stock numbers for goods that are only similar to previous stock. This time I didn't because the overall look is quite similar.  Maybe I should have?

We have a lot of the "wheel-like" ones you got but still have some stock of the regular flat wafer-like ones.  This was the first time I'd seen the "wheel-like" ones. I like them but will try to find more of the regular ones to keep the stock up.  Be sure to ask for the kind you want when you order.

I don't know if I'll find the "wheel- like" ones again. I expect to find the regular ones. Usually, when a bead starts to run out in Africa the price goes up a lot. That has not happened with the brown imitation pipestone disks... yet.  

The color on the flat brown ones does vary - sometimes a lot. I think the Czech have made that color the longest in that shape. We now try to stock the other colors when we can get them. We split them out by color to avoid folks expecting brown when they order. The new on-line store feature shows how many of each are in stock if you search for 22-509 without any color name.

Thanks for mentioning this. It's a good chance to explain about our foolishness in giving old trade and African made beads stock numbers and expecting to sell them in a print catalog!

[Luann Udell]

Hi Polly, Russ, et al.,
I received my bead order just before the holidays--quick service, thank you!  

I noticed something a bit odd about some of the trade bead strands, wanted to get your thoughts.  I ordered several strands of the imitation pipestone heishi beads, item #22-509 BROWN.  I've been buying these for years, have bought them several times from R&T, and have always gotten the same kind of bead.  Usually available in smaller and larger diameters, always the same color red-brown color, holes varying very slightly from about 1mm to about 2mm at the most. but definitely more of a slice.  Sort of a "button" look to the beads, as the rims are slightly defined, sometimes molded lines are evident on the flat part, etc.

I was pleased to discover you had plenty of strands of the smaller slices in the smaller diameters and ordered several strands.  

When I pulled the strands out, I noticed a color difference right away--these are more cinnamon colored than the more traditional red-brown colored ones.  And when I cut one strand apart, I found these are quite different in other ways, too.  For example, they look more like a "ring" bead--a flattened thin ring rather than a pierced slice or button.  The holes are WAY larger--around 3mm.  They just don't look like the same beads at all, almost like an India imitation in a way--more uniform, much cleaner, no "rims"--although they are still strung on some sort of rafia cord like the old ones are.

I can still use these, though I'll have to fiddle with the larger hole size to get them to work.  I'm just curious if you've ever seen these beads before, why they are so different than the traditional "imitation pipestone heishi" beads, and if they were still made in Europe and traded in Africa?  Are the "regular" imitation pipestones getting harder to find??  It would be hard to tell these two different beads apart, other than the color difference, until you cut them off their string.

Thanks so much for your thoughts,
Luann

[Luann Udell]

Hi Russ, thank you for the informative reply.  I haven't been buying trade beads that long--only about 5-7 years or so--but this is the first time I've seen the "newer" (relative term, I know!) version of this type of bead, so it threw me.  I've learned to expect a wide variety in other styles, but it never occurred to me there was such variation in this style.  

I think if it were up to me, I'd call them a slightly different style because of the hole size difference, making it more of a "ring" bead, just as you differentiate between the slices and the drum styles in the same bead.  

At any rate, with your new on-line catalog, it will be easier to simply put up an image of the darn things and say, "This is what we have, do you want it or not?".....  ;^)
  
As I said, I think I can still use them for my purposes, and am delighted to have yet another variety of beads for my growing collection.  If you get the smaller diameter beads in the old "slice" style, though, let me know (if humanly possible, of course.)
best wishes,
Luann