Ancient Suns

Large and extremely fine bead from Pre-Columbian Mexico, likely from the area that is now Guerrero, or possibly from Teotihucan. This bead could easily be 2000 years old, possibly older. Both Teotihucan and the Mezcala Cultures were influenced by the Olmec, the “mother” civilization of Mesoamerica. The stone in this bead appears to be a granite type, extremely hard. Granite is 7-8 on the Moh’s scale of hardness. This in an incredible collector’s piece.

45mm x 39mm x 15mm thick

This is another large Pre-Columbian bead, sourced in Mexico, possible from Teotihucan, or the area that is now Guerrero. This bead has core drilling, suggesting that it may be Olmec Culture(2000+ years old) or Olmecoid(one of the cultures that grew out of and were influenced by the Olmec, such as the Mayan or Mezcala Cultures). The stone, although not pure jadeite, is very hard and possibly jadeite containing.

The diameter is 36mm at the base and the bead is 16mm thick

Very rare Tairona Culture lapis tubular bead. Lapis beads are rarely found from the Tairona Culture. Excellent condition.

36mm x 13mm

Rare large Chavin Culture turquoise bead. 900BC-200BC. This rare and beautiful bead was once part of a Chavin pectoral. It was rubbed with cinnabar or hematite in antiquity.

25mm x 17mm

Rare Olmec Culture rock crystal tubular bead. This bead may 4000-5000 years old. Note the string hole wear on this very ancient bead.

23mm x 12mm

Very unique Mezcala Culture figurative amulet/pendant bead, crafted from a medium hardness gray stone. This piece has charming detail and beautiful stringing hole wear. Excellent condition.

53mm x 16mm

Unique and charming Mezcala Culture Maskette. 300 BC-300 AD. The maskette is crafted from a beautifully colored, semi-translucent greenstone. It has superb patina and polish, and is in excellent condition. It is top to back drilled, and has drilling holes at the bottom as well, suggesting that beads may have been strung from the bottom of the maskette in Pre-Columbian times.

19mm x 21mm

Very rare Tairona agate bird amulet bead from the Earl Kessler Collection. Earl is one of the foremost experts in the field of Tairona beads has written a number of articles on Tairona beads. The amulet is crafted from a very fine translucent agate stone. It is in superb condition.

40mm head to tail

A beautiful and rare set of ancient Pre-Columbian Olmecoid spotted jaguar river jade beads, dating to approximately 300 BC. This time period dates the end of the Olmec Culture, and the beginning of several of the succeeding Mesoamerican cultures, such as the Mayan, Mezcala, Zapotec and others. These beads have been carefully and skillfully sculpted into this rare bone-like shape. The very hard stone material(approximately 6.5 on the Mohs scale) has a superb hand polish.
Provenance: Sotheby’s Auction House

One of the beads measures 27mm x 17mm; the other measures 25mm x 17mm

Rare large Mezcala Culture Maskette. This maskette is sculpted from a fine grained hard stone that is possibly jadeite. The front of the maskette has a very fine polish. It has top to back drilling. Note that, at some point, a second stringing hole was drilled, that has broken through.

42mm x 42mm

Rare Pre-Columbian Mezcala Culture maskette, in superb condition. This maskette is crafted from a very dense, hard, spotted jaguar river jade, and has a very fine polish, and distinct features.

39mm high; 36mm wide

Large and very beautiful Chavin Culture sodalite tubular bead. 2000+ years old. This very rare bead is in excellent condition, with superb burial patina and very smooth rounded stringing holes, and wear appropriate to its age. This is a rare and monumental bead.

59mm x 18mm

Large and very rare Tairona carnelian amulet bead. Traditionally amulets of this type have been described as “grubs”, but more recently it has been proposed, by Tairona amulet collector, Robert Soba, that they are actually representations of jaguars. Earl Kessler, who has written a number of articles about the Tairona and their beads, now agrees with this theory.

32mm x 21mm

Rare barrel shaped Tairona carnelian tubular bead. The vast majority of Tairona tubular beads are straight tubes. This bead is very finely and elegantly sculpted. Excellent condition.

30mm x 12mm

This bead is almost perfectly round, a very rare feature in greenstone beads. The very hard dense stones and lack of modern tools, made a perfectly round bead a very high accomplishment. A bead like this may have taken months to make. The bead is likely early Mezcala Culture, or possibly Olmec, likely dating to 200 BC or earlier. Excellent condition.

17.5mm in diamter

Beautifully colored and proportioned, Tairona greenstone tubular bead. This tube is crafted from a beautiful green and gold stone material. These beautiful long Tairona tubular beads are rare and difficult to find. They are beautiful in necklaces. Excellent condition

42mm x 11mm

Very rare, long and slender Mezcala Culture, tubular bead. 200 BC. This greenstone bead demonstrates exceptional skill, on the part of the bead craftsman. It is interesting to note the similarity of this bead, with the long greenstone beads of the Tairona Culture. It is only by close examination of the stringing hole ends, that one can distinguish the two. This bead was sourced in what is now the State of Guererro. Excellent condition.

52mm x 11mm

Large and exceptionally well sculpted, Olmecoid greenstone bead. This is a perfectly crafted bead, and is crafted of a very hard, dense blue/green stone, the color so favored by the Olmec and the Maya. Note the exceptional drilling and stringing holes on this impressive bead. Excellent condition.

28mm x 21mm

Large and perfectly sculpted Olmecoid greenstone bead. 400 BC-200 BC. This bead may be early Mezcala Culture or Olmec Culture. The color is a very deep forest green. Please take a look at the large stringing holes, and amazing stringing hole wear on this bead. Excellent condition.

24mm in diameter

Rare and extremely attractive greystone Olmecoid bead, 400 BC-200 BC. This beautiful bead is in rare and perfect condition, with great patina, and very impressive stringing hole wear that validates the bead’s antiquity. This is a beautiful bead for a necklace, or a fabulous collector’s bead.

24mm x 14mm

Rare slender Mayan tubular bead, crafted from serpentine or possibly aventurine.
The bead has a very fine polish and patina, with a slight amount of surface wear. The stringing hole ends are a study in ancient wear. This will make a beautiful necklace bead.

26mm x 7mm

Beautiful, and unusually colored, Tairona agate tubular bead. This is another stunning necklace bead, both in terms of size and color. Excellent condition, with fine patina and polish.

26mm x 9mm

Large, rare and beautifully colored, Mezcala Culture bone shaped tubular bead. In addition to its rare shape, this bead has an exceptionally fine color and polish. Excellent condition.

33mm in length by 13mm at its widest point

Very large, deep green, round Mayan greenstone bead, sourced in the Guatemalan Highlands. This bead has the dense, heavy, feeling of Mayan jadeite, but is not quite as hard. Judging from the patina, and the amazing stringing hole, I would estimate that this is a very ancient bead, more than 2000 years old. It is possible that this is actually an Olmec bead. Excellent condition, with one tiny area of surface wear. This is a superb bead.

23mm in diameter

Very high quality Tairona Culture frog amulet bead. Approximately 400 AD. This frog has fine detail and color. The color is slightly brighter than in the photos. Excellent condition. Provenance: The Earl Kessler Collection.

19mm x 12mm

Rare Mayan wolf head amulet bead, beautifully sculpted out of a semi-translucent greenstone. The deep teal blue/green stone is hard cold to the touch, and has a beautiful polish and patina. Adjacent to the stringing hole, on one side of the bead, is a crescent moon. This may be the signature of the bead craftsman.

20mm x 12mm

Very large and superbly colored Chavin Culture tubular sodalite bead.

Excellent condition and silky smooth patina. The bead has a very slight curve to it, as can be seen in the last photo.

42mm x 15mm

Pre-Columbian Mayan jadite face pendant.

This bead is fashioned from authentic Mayan jadeite, the supreme Mayan symbol of immortality.

41mm x 29mm

Rare Tairona Chieftan Amulet.  This rare amulet exhibits Asian-like features, suggesting possible contact with Asian peoples during this time frame.

Provenance: The Earl Kessler Collection

900 BC-1500 AD

46mm x 24mm

Extremely rare and authentic, Mayan Imperial Jade face bead pendant from Guatemala

25mm x 12mm

The bead is fashioned from the highest quality apple green jadeite, known in Guatemala as “jade imperial”. True Guatemalan jadeite is the supreme Mayan symbol of immortality

Large and supremely high quality Tairona Culture tubular jasper bead. This is the most exceptional bead of its kind that we have ever seem. The bead’s provenance is the Earl Kessler collection.

68mm x 18mm

Excellent condition

Fabulous Mayan Imperial Jade face bead. This bead was crafted out of very high quality Mayan Imperial Jade. The color of the actual bead is slightly more blue-green and a bit muted as compared to the photo. Mayan face beads often contain more than one face or image. In the third photo of the side view of the face, a “man-in-the-moon” face is quite clearly evident. The piece is in suberb condition.

25mm x 20mm x 12mm thick

Large Pre-Columbian Mayan rich apple green Jadeite tubular bead. This bead appears to have a partially carved design, or perhaps it was intended to be left just as it is. The jade is of extremely high quality. The stringing hole wear on this bead suggests great antiquity, and it is likely from early in the Mayan period. Excellent condition.

35mm x 13mm

Large Mayan Imperial Green Jadeite bead. The jade of this bead is of outstanding quality. Jade of this color is extremely rare, and is only found in very small veins, within stones of lighter colored jade. Although jade is currently being mined in Guatemala, very little jade of this color and quality is seen. It is theorized that this is because the Olmec and Maya depleted the stores of it. This bead is partially unpolished on the back side, as shown in the photos.

28mm x 18mm

No one knows for sure whether the Olmec and Mayan cultures blended into one around 300-400 AD. This jade pendant, although recovered from Mayan areas, is certainly Olmec influenced. The face in this pendant has considerable erosion due to burial. The pendant itself however, is intact. The photo was taken in sunlight, so the jade appears slightly darker in room light.

45mm x 23mm

Large rare Pre-Columbian Olmec blue jadeite bead from Costa Rica. 300 BC to 600 AD. Stunning and rare color; excellent condition.

35mm x 14mm

Very large and very rare Pre-Columbian Olmec blue tubular bead from Costa Rica. 300 BC-600 AD The condition is very good, with some surface wear at the ends. This very fine bead is the largest of its type that we have seen.

70mm x 28mm

I am including this rare bead in the Pre-Columbian jades section, even though it may, or may not, be jadeite. It is crafted from a hard, semi-translucent stone. This design of bead is referred to as the “temple design”. This is a very rare bead, in excellent condition. There is a slight amount of surface degradation from long burial.

54mm x 23mm

Very fine in both craftsmanship and quality of Jadeite, this maskette is Mayan and, likely, from the Classic Era(250AD to 500AD), or could be older. It has top to back drilling, as can be seen in the photo. It is in superb condition.

28mm x 27mm

Superbly colored large round Mayan brilliant green jadeite “cuenta” or necklace bead. Excellent condition and patina

18mm in diameter

Rare strand of Pre-Columbian Mayan Jade Beads-2000+ years old. The strand has 87 beads, including an authentic ancient Jadeite maskette. The maskette measures 22mm x 12mm. The beads are a beautiful combination of authentic Mayan jadeite, and Mayan aventurine, and average from 6-8mm in diameter, with the largest being 10mm in diameter. The tubular beads average from 10-14mm in length, with the longest being 17mm in length. It needs only a clasp to be a stunning personal necklace.

Superbly colored Mayan jadeite bead, with variegated apple green, “jade manzana” coloring. Excellent condition with fine patina and very striking ancient stringing hole wear.

18mm x 18mm

Pre-Columbian Mayan jadeite “cuenta” or necklace bead. Beautiful soft colors and wonderful ancient patina.

14mm in diameter

Rare and beautiful Mayan jadeite ear ornament. This type of piece would be worn on the front of the ear; there would be a “flare” that went through the hole in this piece, into the enlarged ear lobe perforation. Also, a bead or beads would then would have been put into the arrangement. This beautiful piece is crafted of fine, highly translucent jadeite, with a high waxy polish. Light clearly shines through this piece. Excellent condition.

38mm in diameter; 8mm deep

36mm Round Mayan jadeite necklace bead. The Mayan nobility wore, along with other jadeite ornaments, strands of large round beads such as this one. Finding a large and highly colored bead, such as this one, is extremely rare, especially in this perfect condition. The bead has deep conical drilling, which narrows to a small hole at the center of the bead. This bead was sourced in the Highlands of Guatemala, in the area now known as the Ixil Triangle. This intensely blue/green color was the color of jade preferred by these Highland’s peoples. Please note that the color of this bead was very hard to capture with the camera, so the photos may not match the color of the bead exactly. The color is GORGEOUS! The final photo is of a strand of such beads, in the Bead Museum, in Chichicastenago, Guatemala.

36mm in diameter; 28mm high; 68 grams

Beautiful soft green Mayan jadeite bead, sourced in the Highlands of Guatemala. Beautiful color variation, and ancient patina. In this case, the bead maker chose to drill straight through the bead, as opposed to going through from both ends, thus the bead has core drilling, and a smaller hole on one end than the other. Nonetheless, the stringing holes have beautiful ancient wear.

16mm in diameter

Rare and beautiful apple green Mayan jadeite bead, sourced in the Highlands of Guatemala. The unique feature of this bead, is the carved eye, adjacent to one of the stringing holes. Although rare, I have seen this feature in other Mayan beads. This is a rare bead, with beautiful color and condition. The bead has core style drilling and a fine jadeite polish.

18mm x 12mm

Very rare and beautiful, patterned jadeite tubular bead, from the area that is now Western Mexico, and the State of Colima. In this bead, the mineral deposits within the jade, have formed a pattern that gives it the effect of being a decorated bead, not unlike the decorated beads of Asia. Excellent condition. Provenance: The former Ron Merrick Gallery of Santa Fe

25mm x 13mm

Rare and beautiful Mayan jadeite ear ornament. This type of piece would be worn on the front of the ear; there would be a “flare” that went through the hole in this piece, into the enlarged ear lobe perforation. Also, a bead or beads would then would have been put into the arrangement. This beautiful piece is crafted of fine, semi- translucent jadeite, with a high waxy polish. The color of green is deeper, a more olive color, than in the photo. Light shines through this piece when held up to the light. Excellent condition.

40mm wide; 15mm deep

This is one of the most stunning large, round Mayan jadeite beads that I have seen. It is elegantly sculpted, and finely polished. The jadeite is a rare variegated charcoal gray in color. The core style drilling suggests that this bead was likely Olmec influenced, if not from the Olmec Culture itself. This is a true collector’s bead, although it would be absolutely elegant, worn as a single bead on a leather cord. The last photo shows of strand of this type of round Mayan jadeite bead in the Jade Museum in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. These were truly the beads of the Mayan elite.

33mm in diameter

Superb, and very large Olmecoid jade bead. 400 BC to 200 BC or older. The exceptional quality of sculpting, as well as the size and style of the hole, of this bead and the previous two beads(the brownstone and the greystone), suggest that the are likely from the Olmec Culture, and may well exceed the date of 400 BC, by quite a long time. The bead has a fine jade stone polish. The is another superb bead, in absolutely excellent condition.

28mm in diameter and 24mm high

This fabulously green, and highly polished Mayan jadeite bead, was broken at some point in its history. This can be seen by observing the difference in the two stringing hole ends. The quality of the jadeite that this bead was sculpted from, the fine polish, and the fact that the tube is still 40mm long, make it a worthy bead, in spite of this. One can only guess at the former length of this bead.

40mm x 13mm

Very large, and judging from the patina and stringing hole wear, very ancient, Mayan tubular bead. This bead, may pre-date the Mayan Era, and date further back to the Olmec “mother culture”. This is a very solid bead, with a tiny old chip, close to one of the stringing hole ends(this can be seen in the last photo); otherwise the bead is in excellent condition.

38mm x 23mm

This exceptionally colored and high quality jadeite bead, fits into the category of being an amulet, by virtue of the extra hole, or eye, at one of the stringing ends. The exact explanation for this form of decoration is unknown, although presumably the Pre-Columbian Mayans decorated beads with eyes, to ward of the “evil eye”, as was done in ancient cultures, the world over. It is interesting in the case of Mesoamerican Cultures, that these eyes were almost always placed in a more private spot, adjacent to the stringing hole. This is an exceptionally high quality bead, sculpted from an intensely blue/green jadeite, with a high polish. This is one of my most exceptional beads.

19mm hole to hole, and 15mm thick

Very intensely colored, variegated green Mayan jadeite tabular bead. This bead was sourced in the area of the Guatemalan Highlands, now known as Nebaj. This bead is sculpted of high quality Mayan jadeite. It has a superb polish and beautiful ancient patina, along with ancient stringing hole wear that is a true validation of its 2000+ years of age. Excellent condition.

17mm x 14mm

Large rare Olmec Culture blue/green jadeite bead, sourced in Guatemala. Blue and blue/green jadeite was favored by the Olmecs, over all other colors. This bead is a beautiful variegated blue/green, with an attractive band of orange gold, that appears to come from an impurity in the stone matrix. The bead has a fine hard polish and has a very large core drilled stringing hole. There is a possibility that the hole may have been enlarged at a later date. There are a couple of areas of light surface wear.

22mm in diameter.

This very rare decorated Mayan jadeite bead, was likely part of a longer tubular bead, at some point in its history. It was common practice for the Late Classic Mayans, or possibly later cultures, to come along and cut long tubular beads into slices or pieces such as this one. This very attractive bead is in excellent condition. It is sculpted from an attractive marbled sage green jadeite.

16mm x 11mm

Excellent pair of Mayan jadeite necklace beads, or “cuentas”. These beads were sourced in the Highland area of Guatemala, known as the Ixil Triangle, where these deeper green jadeite beads were favored. One of the beads is a more blue/green, and the other is the deepest olive green. Both bead were drilled from only one side, as can be seen in the photos. This is something that is occasionally seen in small to medium sized Mayan beads.

The beads each measure approximately 10.5mm in diameter

Pair of small and extremely high quality, Pre-Columbian Mayan jadeite necklace beads. These beads are both very finely crafted, and are of very high quality, excellent green Mayan jadeite. Jadeite of this color is found only in small veins within other colors of jadeite. Accordingly, beads of this color are usually quite small. Perfect condition.

Each bead measures 6mm in diameter

Large and very rare colored, Mayan blue jadeite bead. This bead is exceptional for its particular color of blue; most Olmec and Mayan blue jadeites are more blue/green in color. This bead is a true blue, with smokey clouds of grey. The bead, for some reason, is somewhat rustically formed, in terms of shape. This may have been an attempt on the part of the bead’s craftsman, to preserve as much of the rare colored jadeite as possible. The bead has very deep and smooth conical drilling.

26mm in diameter, and 18mm at its thickest point

This is one of the largest and rarest jadeite pieces in this collection. This large apple, “manzana” green jadeite, tabular bead, has a perfect polish and patina. The stringing holes have beautiful soft wear, and the bead is in absolutely perfect condition. This would be a beautiful centerpiece bead, as well as a bead for the collector.

26mm x 18mm x 10mm thick

For the Mayans, the value of Imperial Jadeite far exceeded the value of gold. Jadeite of this color, is found only running in narrow veins of jadeite of other colors, and this beads of this color are usually very small. This is a large Imperial Jadeite “cuenta” or necklace bead. I have photographed it with a gold chain, because this bead deserves to be displayed in that way(please note that the chain is not included; it is for display only). It is absolutely stunning worn as a single bead. Excellent condition, with very little surface wear.

11mm in diameter by 8mm thick

Beautiful semi-translucent jadeite necklace bead, sourced in what is now Western Mexico, and likely from the Colima Culture. 2000+ years old. This bead has outstanding color, polish, and ancient stringing hole wear. There is a small amount of surface wear, as can be seen in the photos.

14.5 mm in diameter

For the Mayans, the value of Imperial Jadeite far exceeded the value of gold. This bead may be characterized as either very high quality “manzana”, apple jade, or Imperial jade. Jadeite of these colors, are found only running in narrow veins of jadeite of other colors, and beads of this color are usually very small. This is a large Imperial Jadeite “cuenta” or necklace bead. I have photographed it with a gold chain, because this bead deserves to be displayed in that way(please note that the chain is not included; it is for display only). It is absolutely stunning worn as a single bead. Excellent condition, with very little surface wear.

11.5mm in diameter

Very rare Mayan decorated tubular jadeite bead, sourced in the Guatemala Highlands. Approximately 2000 y/o. This very rare bead has core drilling, beautiful soft stringing hole wear, and a fine patina.

17.5mm in length, by 14mm in diameter

Very rare, decorated Mayan jadeite tabular bead. This bead has an abstract design, but when it is looked at, standing on its stringing hole end, it appears to have an abstract human representation. The bead is in excellent condition, with a fine jadeite polish and smooth stringing hole wear.

21mm x 15mm

Small 7mm in diameter, Mayan Imperial Jadeite bead, sourced in the Guatemalan Highlands. Most Imperial Jadeite beads are small, as the brilliant green jadeite is found running in veins of jadeite boulders of less desirable colors. Every bit is precious. Excellent condition.

7mm

Pair of beautiful rare spotted jadeite barrel shaped beads, from what is now the Central Highlands area of Mexico. I believe that this type of jadeite bead, is the most beautiful and rare of all the spotted jade beads. The beads are finely sculpted, and have a high satin smooth jadeite polish. They have the dramatic style of conical drilling that is typical of the beads that come from this area. The spots are a bright green, on a creamy background that itself is tinged with green. Excellent condition.

One of the beads measures 10mm x 9mm, and the other measures 9mm x 10mm

Indo-Tibetan Etched  Longevity bead

16mm x 8mm