Indian Glass Beads

Rich Colour, Imperfect Shape, Earthy Texture and … Dust? Sarah Ezzy-dickson Discovers the History Behind the Art Form That Is Indian Glass Beads.

INDIA IS ONE OF THE largest suppliers of the world’s beads, and has often been the leader in bead-making techniques. indian civilisations around 4000 years ago pioneered the process of making hard stone beads, such as agate, and the process has changed little since that time. although the advent of electricity has made some parts of the process easier, such as polishing and grinding, most Indian bead makers still utilise a double tipped diamond drill which is powered by a hand-driven bow drill.

Indian glass beads have been around for about 2000 years, and India has been recognised as the origin of gold and silver foil lined beads that were exported all over the world. the port city of Arikamedu (earlier known as Viraipattinam) was one of the main bead producers and exporters in India.

Archaeologists have recently found furnaces in the ruins of the city that contain the earliest known evidence of the drawn and cut method of bead-making. bead production in this area continued uninterrupted until the 1600s, making it the largest and longest-lived glass bead industry. before India had begun making glass beads, they were making imitation gem stones out of glass for use in their jewellery and other ornaments. once beads were in production, they also became a prominent form of adornment and decoration.

Early Indian beads were made from glass that was produced within each bead-making district, while many other countries relied on importing glass from Western countries to recycle for their own uses. this has made Indian glass beads a particularly easy avenue for historians to trace the immigration of early Indian craftsmen and the importation of their technology.