White Beaded Drop Earrings

Historical Information
Object: Pair of earrings made from a small clay bead and a small
opaque white glass bead
Materials: Hand-formed earthenware bead (clay, low-fired) &
Hand-wound or drawn opaque white 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
opaque white 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-
20th-century beadmaking.