Web Description:
The Bohemian glass bead industry was at its height at the turn of the 20th century, and glassmaking was an important contributor to the national economy. The number of beadmaking firms increased as the industry moved beyond Jablonec nad Nisou, and the quantity of beads crafted for export was staggering, far surpassing the production levels of Venice. The glass industry continued to prosper through a series of political changes, from the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 to the Great Depression. With the Depression, followed by World War II and the adoption of Soviet socialism by Czechoslovakia, the bead industry was severely damaged. But in the 1950s, restrictions on the exportation of beads were loosened and the industry was revitalized. More novelty forms in beads were created in the 20th century, along with many new types and variations of 19th-century techniques. The string of beads shown here includes conch shells made in a mint green satin glass (a glass that has the smooth appearance of satin fabric). The conch shells have a dark mold seam that runs around the shell form, showing two distinct halves with a large amount of detail that imitates the texture of a true conch shell. The small green faceted crystallike beads are a product very much associated with, and known from, the Bohemian (Czech) glass bead industry. These beads exemplify the novelty, the variation in type, and the traditional beads that this industry excelled in producing.
