Overview of Antique and Vintage Beads & Purses
The earliest of bags had beads - a bead a small object with a hole to string or hang
Some of the earliest bags/pouches man created had holes through objects like shell or bone.
Most of the purses that we collect today that we call: antique or vintage use the same organic materials, plus stone, pearls, metal snd glass.
Sable’ Beaded
Sable’ beaded. The top is a purse bottom from the 1700’s.
are tiny glass beads (as small as 30 beads per inch) and represent the oldest purses in most collections.
Highly Collectible antique scenic purses using ITALIAN micro glass beads.
Beaded bags, with floral, figurative,and scenic themes were popular in the 1800’s - early 1900’s. Most of these glass beaded purses were made in Germany.
A German Purse using Italian micro beads
Example of bead knitting a purse
Bead Knitted 1790 -1820 small miser purse
Beaded Bags can be Fragile
I found a beautiful old bag early 1800’s with interesting imagery…TOO MANY HOLES TO FIX, and some beads TOO TINY for modern repairs.
BUT TOO NICE TO LEAVE BEHIND.
It had been loved. It has a story to tell - it has many repairs
Early 1800’s beaded purse in poor condition
old beaded repairs - notice the uneven sections
The interior showing early repairs
