Four Thousand Year Old Carnelian Beads, 20k Gold, Carnelian Eye Bead Centerpiece

A necklace of six long carnelian tube beads, a round tabular carnelian “eye” bead, and four carnelian truncated bi cone beads. The carnelian tube beads alternate with six 20k gold beads. The small truncated bi cone carnelian beads are each faced with granulated spacer beads. There is a double ring spacer bead at the back on each side that faces the terminating carnelian bead. On the other side is the beading tip and the hook and eye clasp. The carnelian beads are 4,000 year old Bronze Age beads from the Indus Valley culture from what is now Pakistan. The center eye bead is 2.5 cm in length and width and 1.3 cm in thickness. The diameter of the drill hole is 2.3 mm. The top of the bead is domed so that the layers in the agate will appear as concentric circles; this is the protection from the “evil eye” which is still believed in by many people even today. The carnelian beads to either side of the eye bead are truncated bi cone shapes 3.3 mm in length, 8 mm in diameter and with a drill hole diameter of 2.3 mm. The gold beads are 2 cm in length and 6.1 mm in width. The beads are capped and decorated with a twisted wire border with a center section made by coiling wire. The agate bead to the left is 2.35 cm in length, 9 mm in width at the center and 5.5 mm in width at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 3 mm. The agate bead on the other side is 2.23cm in length, 9 mm in width at the center and 5.5 mm in width at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 3 mm. The long carnelian bead to the left , the second one back, is 3.25 cm in length, 8 mm in width and with a drill hole diameter of 3.8 mm. Its opposite on the right side of the necklace is 3.8 cm in length, 7.5mm in width and with a drill hole diameter of 3 mm. The last carnelian bead on the left side is 2.3 cm in length, 7 mm in width at the center and 4.5 mm at the ends. The perforation diameter is 3.5 mm. The carnelian bead at the back on the right side is 2.2 cm in length, 6.2 mm in width at the center and 4.5 mm in width at the ends. The drill hole diameter is 3.5 mm. The carnelian beads are from the Indus Valley culture of four thousand years ago. The technical precision involved in the making of these beads is remarkable. The Indus Valley craftsmen were able to make a long bead with a three millimeter perforation and then taper down the ends to a thickness of one millimeter! Indus Culture beads have been found in ancient Sumer in Mesopotamia. These were luxury goods made for royalty and a wealthy elite. The necklace is 40 cm in length. The necklace weighs 47 grams.