Pre-Columbian, Classic Maya, ca. 300 to 900 CE. A colorful collection of Mayan stone beads, strung on a modern gold-plated chain. Two heavy grey-black cylindrical beads sit across from each other near the top of the strand; below them are two round, mace-head style beads, one pale beige, the other creamy green; below them are two longer beads, one of the classic "Olmec blue" jadeite color, the other a greyer green; below that are two more mace-head style beads, one also beige and the other a deep green with white inclusions. There the strand joins together; dangling below the join are a long, marbled pink, cylindrical bead above a rectangular greenstone bead with a shallow groove horizontally across its face. Length of strand: 21" L (53.3 cm); size of rectangular bead: 1.5" W (3.8 cm)
Research in the late 1990s and early 2000s pinpointed the source of "Olmec blue" jadeite at being in the lowland Motagua River near the modern day border of Guatemala and Honduras; stone from this source was carved and traded widely throughout early Mesoamerica. The value of jade for ancient people lay in its symbolic power: perhaps its color was associated with water and vegetation. The Maya placed jade beads in the mouths of the dead. Many scholars have argued that the demand for jadeite contributed to the rise of long distance trading networks and to the rise of urban centers in ancient Mesoamerica.
Provenance: private Denver, Colorado, USA collection
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#129817
Condition
All beads have wear commensurate with age, but are generally in excellent condition. The blue-green bead has a loss from one side.