These are sterling silver barrel beads handcrafted in the Balinese style. The beads are cylinder barrel shaped, with a fleur-de-lis or vajra pattern repeated three times around each bead, and antique patina finish on the surface. Item is priced for 10 beads.
A note about the pattern: If you know anything about the French, or if you happen to be from New Orleans or Quebecois, this symbol would be familiar to you. As expressed historically in flags and heraldry, this symbol has been used to represent the Gauls, a Celtic ethnic group who ruled France and many other parts of Europe after the Roman empire collapse. That particular usage of the symbol was traced back to Flanders, where the river Lys flows, and upon those banks a yellow iris grows (Iris pseudacorus), which by the locals is also called the “yellow flag”. This symbol is now associated with many parts of Europe, as the yellow flower. However, it was also in use long before, as a symbol of the divine thunderbolt hammer, a weapon of the Greek sky god Zeus. In fact, this basic design element, as it is easy to replicate, was used by many cultures to represent different objects, including other lilies, lotus, grain sheaves, weapon blades, bees, leaves, helmet plumes, grapes, celery, bird wings, palm trees, fish, and myriad other plant ad animal types. It has been represented on coins minted by the many cultures within Alexander the Great’s empire along the Silk Road, and also by the French East India Company having done business as far as the Ganges delta in the 17th – 18th centuries, using their own fleur-de-lis coins. The symbol that was once belonging to the Greeks has been incorporated into Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist traditions as the Vajra, the potent thunderbolt wand or hammer of the Hindu god of thunder Indra, and the diamond sceptre of Buddhist monks representing the persevering endurance of those seeking enlightenment and the instant spark of inspiration when they find it. In any context, a truly globally recognized design.Length: 6mm
Outer diameter: 5mm
Inner diameter: 3mm