Oval Beaded Wire Set Earrings

Object: Pair of earrings made from a small clay bead and a small translucent red glass bead

Materials: Hand-formed earthenware bead (clay, low-fired) &

Hand-wound or drawn oval red glass bead

Technique: Clay bead: rolled and pierced by hand before firing

Glass bead: shaped & likely cut from drawn glass rod

Date: c. 19th-early 20th century

Likely Origin: England (clay bead) Bohemia / Venice / Britain (white glass bead)

Find Location: Thames Estuary, Essex

Extra Information:

These earrings are made from two small handmade beads recovered from the Thames estuary. The clay bead reflects a long tradition of hand-rolled earthenware beads used for dress trimming, cord decoration, children's jewellery and household items before industrial bead presses became common. Its uneven form and pierced hole suggest simple hand formation and low firing. The red glass bead represents early beadmaking, when beads were drawn from molten glass rods or wound on a mandrel, creating softly rounded, slightly irregular forms used on Victorian clothing. rosaries, purses and haberdashery trimmings. Both beads once decorated everyday accessories and were lost as fabrics wore out.

Smoothed by time and water, they now form a unique pair of earrings preserving the handmade traditions of 19th- and early 20th-century beadmaking.