the best in vintage Italian seed beads!
We have just added a fourth sample card to our original set of three sample cards. With this card you can order colors in blues, reds, yellows, greens, and whites that were previously unavailable. There are over 50 beads on the card, and over 100 variations in size that can be ordered from this card. If you are looking for a specific size please let us know, we would be happy to inform you of the size variations availble for each color and tone of our stock of vintage Italian seed beads. The colors on this new set have certianly been well recieved by those who are "in the know" as to these vintage Italian seed beads as used on Native American Indian beadwork.
The vintage Italian seed bead sample cards contain actual samples of the seed beads sewn to a heavy weight hand made paper that simulates brain tanned hide as found with traditional American Indian bead work. These cards are sold in sets and take hours to make. We have found that the best scenario for ordering beads is an actual sample of the vintage Italian glass seed beads themselves. Have you ever ordered vintage Italian seed beads or other vintage seed beads from a catalog, or website, only to find the beads did not meet your expectations? Acquiring these actual sample cards will assure you that you will receive the exact vintage Italian seed bead for either repairing an old piece, making a replication of an old piece, or for use in the design of a new piece. We urge you to acquire the vintage Italian seed bead sample cards, thus eliminating any error in ordering vintage seed beads.
The cards in the photographs have double lines of vintage Italian seed beads so the color will be more discernible on the web. The actual cards we send out have single lines of vintage Italian seed beads sewn on them.
The blue card starts off with a beautiful light greasy blue found on Lakota pipe bags, Plateau and Crow pieces including mirror bags, horse collars, horse head stalls, horse forehead ornaments, etc, moccasins from all groups, especially the Kiowa, Lakota, and Cheyenne. The beads then range from a beautiful Plateau/Crow light blue down to a more Sioux blue. The shades of blue spill over onto card #2. All of these blues have been matched to many different objects ranging in date from 1865 through 1900. They can be found on pieces from tribes in the Woodlands, Prairie, Plains, and Plateau. Many of these beads were the background colors on many pieces and have not been available in quantity for years.
Click here for higher resolution image of this vintage seed bead sample card.
Bead Card Set
Set of all four sample cards in a fold over cover for
$40 + shipping. Go to order page.
Card #2 has some exquisite colors and shades of our vintage Italian seed beads. It starts out with some Sioux blues, beautiful periwinkles, some darker transparent's, and cobalt blue. The blues end with some "pony beads", the lighter found on early Plateau, and Blackfeet women's dresses. The dark transparent's can be found on the same dress as well on early beadwork from the Northern, Central, and Southern Plains. Within the red category are many different shades of "red white hearts" including a very nice rose white heart. There is also a dark transparent red found on Plateau, Crow, and Kiowa material. A greasy red found on Central Plains material, as well as through out North America. The yellows contain greasy's in several shades we have matched these yellows to old Nez Perce shirt strips, Plateau, Plains, and Prairie material. The cards ends with various pumpkin orange beads found on material from through out North America especially on Crow, Plateau, (transmontane) beadwork. A very nice assortment of vintage Italian seed beads, many of the blues are the background colors on many Native American vintage beadwork objects!
Click here for higher resolution image of the vintage seed bead card.
Bead Card Set
Set of all four sample cards in a fold over cover for
$40+ shipping. Go to order page.
The greens include various shades of opaque, semi transparent/translucent, as well as some greasy greens. The greens have been matched to Native American Indian objects from through out the Plains, Prairie, Plateau, and subarctic/arctic regions. The light greasy green is common on Central and Southern Plains Indian moccasins and other American Indian material. The whites are found on objects from through out North America.
Click here for higher resolution image of the vintage seed bead sample card.
Bead Card Set
Set of all four sample cards in a fold over cover for
$40 + shipping. Go to order page.
Vintage seed bead sample card #4 has some exquisite colors and shades from a crate we just opened of our vintage Italian seed beads. Many nice blues new to our stock especially the periwinkle, some nice dark transparent blues, and some exquisite light blues often found on Plateau and Crow Indian beadwork. There are also some nice reds including a light red as well as some beautiful dark reds. A few yellows and a really nice pumpkin. You will also encounter some vintage green colors that we think are remarkable. There are some more transparents and whites, as well as some more pony/pound beads of interest. We are sure that you too will be excited about this excellent assortment that we have added to our stock!
Click here for higher resolution image of the vintage seed bead card.
Bead Card Set
Set of all four sample cards in a fold over cover for
$40+ shipping. Go to order page.