1221 Antique Tribal Bead Wedding Necklace

Antique Tribal Bead Wedding Necklace with 8 Bronze beads - Odisha

The women of the protected 'Bonda' tribe from Odisha wear beads as their main form of clothing

The dozens of strings of beads hung around the neck and shoulders cover the front of the body from the neck to the thighs like a blanket.

A search on Pinterest will show stunning portraits of the tribe.

The handmade beads are said to be venetian glass beads pre 1900.

Such necklaces were worn by women of several tribes in Eastern India

Eight heavy bronze beads present

Necklace is estimated to be from the 1950s while the glass beads are from the late 1800s

*Last three pictures are from a government publication. 

Literature Reference

Similar pieces mentioned in Opie Untracht, Traditional Jewelry of India

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This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.

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