Trade beads - "Prairie Rose" opal pony beads

12” strand of opal pony beads. Roughly size 6/0 or 7/0. Produced in the 19th century, when production of glass beads was a highly protected trade. The colour of beads would have been produced by mixing molten glass with a complex recipie, blending different metals including gold - part of the reason why finding colourfast pinks in today’s market is next to impossible.

We have a very limited quantity of this color!