ANCIENT BLUE GLASS BICONE BEAD (Han Period BC206—AD220) Start Price USD 89.00 Current Price USD 89.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, August 18, 2008 End Time Monday, August 25, 2008 Location Virginia, USA See more about 'ANCIENT BLUE GLASS BICONE BEAD (Han Period BC206—AD220)' Description   Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 ANCIENT HEXAGONAL BLUE GLASS BICONE BEAD (Han Dynasty BC 206—AD220)  BEAD NO. 2 Length = 3/4 inch Circumference at widest part of bead = 2 inches RARE and GENUINE!  This ancient Han Dynasty dark blue hexagonal bicone glass bead was purchased legally at auction in Kuala Lumpur (as part of a strand) in the early 1990s while living and working in Asia.  Each bead (this is No. 2 of six) exhibits a beautiful patina and is diaphanous - as this bead is – to semi-opaque and opaque, showing different shades of deep blue as they capture the light.  Each bead is in stable condition (Bead No. 1 has been sold). Farmers in Java periodically find ancient Han stone tombs in or near their rice paddies.  Most were looted centuries ago for their gold.  Ancient thieves smashed through the Han Dynasty pottery and discarded Han beads simply to collect the gold from the tomb and flee as quickly as possible.  Farmers recover what is left when they discover them, and are legally allowed to sell some of the contents under certain conditions and with government permission.  The beads are in various states of devolution, owing to the amount of moisture that reached them over the centuries.  This bead is in pristine condition and therefore will command a higher starting price. These Han Dynasty hexagonal blue glass bicones were made in ancient China specifically for trade into Southeast Asia, as they are found exclusively within the Han Dynasty period tombs in Southeast Asia.  Some scholars also believe that, since the beads are not found in China, they are a product of ancient Han Chinese glass bead makers who relocated to Southeast Asia from China during the Han period and produced beads preferred by the indigenous peoples.  For more information on these ancient beads, please refer to Manik-Manik di Indonesia (Beads in Indonesia) by Sumarah Adhyatman and Redjeki Arifin (published in Jakarta, 1993). Exceedingly rare to be offered to collectors and absolutely genuine, the patina on these beads can only be acquired by inhumation deep within the ground for over one thousand years.  Every antique and ancient bead I sell is guaranteed for life and may be taken to any top museum for verification.  Not one of my beads has ever had to be returned. Buyers within the continental U.S. pay $6.50 for all shipping, handling and insurance.  Overseas buyers, please contact me for amount as it will vary depending on where you are located.  If you are bidding on several of these beads and win them at auction, I will hold them and ship them all together, so as to ensure that your shipping and handling costs are reasonable.  PLEASE NOTE:  PAYMENT MUST BE MADE WITHIN 3 DAYS OF AUCTION CONCLUSION; I ONLY ACCEPT PAYPAL. Place a Bid!