This group is also flattened in line with the stinging holes, and are actually photographed upside down. When strung, the birds would hang upside down to a viewer, but right-side up I guess, to the wearer. They have a very distinctive bird shpe, and are about 18mm x 22mm in size on the average.
This group may have been intended to represent a stylized bird shape (the top two), or perhaps a simple crescent-shape. The bottom bead is a semi-circle with two loops. The top beads are about 10 mm wide and the bottom bead is 22 mm wide.
This is a neat little group, one of my favorite design patterns, usually called a "wave", or sometimes when it is sharper, a "zig-zag" pattern. This type of design can be seen on beads and glassware dating back before the Roman era, and has been popular ever since. This group is definitely Islamic era though. They are about 14 mm from top to bottom.
This group contains some larger beads that may have some stylized symbology, that I am unaware of. The large one may be bird-shaped (?). They are about 10 mm for the smallest, up to 28 mm for the largest pendant-bead.
This group contains the largest pendant-beads. The two top beads, on the right and left (42 mm tall), have silver metal caps added later, to create a pendant loop. I do not know if this was planned initially, or a later repair of a broken loop.
The center top bead (32 mm), has the millefiore-type decorations and also raised prunts along the bottom. It is suspended by a small pre-formed hole near the top.
The bottom beads right and left (22mm x 24mm), are double beads. You can actually run a string through the top or the bottom, allowing it to serve as a pendant, or a spacer bead to separate two different strings.
The center bead is simply a large flatttened bead (30mm x 38mm), and not a pendant bead at all. It just looked good with the other beads in this box.
Please feel free to ask questions or add comments.
Jan
ps: There are several posts in the archives written by Jamey which explain the way these types of beads are constructed. I did not want to try to repeat his information and mess it up. Please use the archives often there is great stuff there.
