whats this bead made of?

[GatorBoy]

I have found only one other bead from this site. Its the blue glass one. This one has me stumped on what its made of and weather or not it's pre-contact. I do have evidence of the use of asphaltum/tar at this site. Could it be tar?

 

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[GatorBoy]

 

[GatorBoy]

sorry..was having problems uploading

 

[Age_old]

Wow man, nice beads. Sounds like your site had some pretty advanced culture for there to be tar. Did you ever consider that your black bead is fossil bone? You should be able to tell on how heavy/dense it is.

 

[GatorBoy]

I did... it seems too light.

 

[Get-the-point]

Gator that looks like Canal Coal. At first i thought steatite but it does not have the sheen. Ok i am wondering if this is your creation??

 

[GatorBoy]

Ha ha..nah its the real thing. Came from an awesome site.

 

[tomclark]

Does it float? Does handling it get schmutz or stain on you or paper/towel?? Tink it on your teeth and see if it tinks like glass compared to some kind of asphaltum or an organic substance. Can you see through it at all with a real bright light?? Like Black Glass?? Dark, dark green or brown...?? Very cool with the swirl of manufacture which looks like glass but if even made in the hand out of tar would look like that.

 

[GatorBoy]

I just tried everything you mentioned. Sinks like a rock. Tinks on my tooth and allows zero light to pass. I'm sure its not the "black" glass your thinking of. It did do something I didn't notice when I found it. After taking it from the water it was slightly tacky. I tried one more photo. It might be one of those things that the answer just shows up one day.

 

[GaRebel1861]

That's really interesting, but I have no clue what that is made of. As far as material, I've never seen anything like it. You could catch it on fire to see if it is in fact made from tar. (joking of course) I'll be looking at this thread to see what comes of it. I've got a "few" beads from up this way that I will post. When I say a few I mean very few. That is a nice find.

 

[GatorBoy]

Thanks bro.

 

[SemperFind]

I believe you have asphaltum.

 

[GatorBoy]

I'm thinkin so too. Just would be nice to see another.

 

[NC field hunter]

I first thought fossil because of the little bubble like pits in it. I would look into obsidian if I were you. It has glass like chips on the end(at hole). That is the way obsidian chips. Could be gym grade!!

 

[NC field hunter]

You said it was "tacky" after contact with water? The round piece, not the bead, looks kinda like creosol. Just what the pic looks like to me.

 

[GatorBoy]

Thanks for the input. Sure would be easier if y'all could hold it. I'm thinkin if it was heated to make into a bead it may have bubbles like that. Its cool whatever it is. I thought about how I might make one out of hot tar and figured a bird bone stuck through the middle of a small ball heated in a green palm frawn then rolled out would produce something like it. Even the swirl marks from the fiber of the palm. I suppose then you could put it in water to cool and contract and the bone should come right out. I might try to duplicate as an experiment. Ha..why not?

 

[natchitoches]

some of the oldest trade beads was made with hand spin glass.
and looks a lot like that.

 

[GatorBoy]

That may be. I will look that up. I have Spanish artifacts I was able to date to 1630's from that site.

 

[GatorBoy]

Ahh ha.. its glass..and old too. The style is known as Lewis and Clark.

 

[SemperFind]

Glass isn't tacky, asphaltum is.