Trade Beads for Historical & Contemporary Craft Use

Native American Indians have used beads as part of their attire for centuries. These beads were made from shells, stone, wood, copper, bones and antler and other locally available materials Glass beads for trade were introduced to the Native Indians initially by European explorers, and later by The Hudson’s Bay Company and other fur tradingcompanies. Lewis and Clark introduced glass beads into new areas they traversed, but they also saw glass beads that had been obtained by Native Americans on the Pacific coast from other traders, who then in turn traded them to interior tribes. As the fur trade expanded westward, forts and trading posts were established, and the availability of trade goods, which certainly included an expanding selection of glass beads, grew.

Crazy Crow Trading Post offers a selection of reproductions of these earliest and most popular glass trade beads, such as chevron beads made initially in Venice. These beads make a nice addition to various traditional Native American regalia, as well as fur trade era rendezvous outfits and accoutrements.

What is a Chevron Bead?

A chevron is a bead type produced from a glass “cane” known as a Rosetta. Cane refers to rods of glass with color; these rods can be simple, containing a single color, or they can be complex and contain many strands of multiple colors in pattern, as are those used in producing the chevron beads.

Chevrons were drawn from a hollow cane typically with six thin layers of glass, traditionally white, blue, white, brick red, white then finally blue. This was then ground to produce patterns with five concentric stars with twelve points. The canes were chopped allowing large numbers of beads to be produced from each production run.

They were first produced in Venice, on the island of Murano at the end of the 14th century with the first reference to chevrons appearing in the inventory of the Barovier glass works in 1496. They were one of the core bead types used as Trade Beads destined for West Africa and the Americas. Like most Murano glass making techniques of the time, production processes were heavily protected.

154 Page, Full-Color Wholesale Crafts Supply Catalog & Online Store

At present, our online store reflects only our retail prices. This will change in the near future, but for now, wholesale pricing is indicated separately in our 154 Page wholesale catalog. Approved dealers may order online, and will receive their wholesale pricing when invoiced. We also provide a toll-free order hotline (800-786-6210) that is available weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Central Time). We offer an extensive craft supply selection that includes: beads, beading supplies, jewelry findings, leather, fabric, feathers, fringes, shells, furs and more as part of over 8,000 item inventory.

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