Ancient Suns

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