Chevron bead

The initial core is formed from a molten ball of glass (called a "gather") that was melted in a furnace.

When making solid multilayered cane intended to be used for decorating millefiori beads, no air bubble is inserted.

After all layers have been applied, metal plates are affixed to the still hot glass, which is "drawn" or stretched out into a long rod, called a "cane", by pulling from both ends in opposite directions.

Most of the Venetian chevron beads made for export to West Africa and to the Americas have layers in red, blue, and white.

Venetian chevron beads have been traded throughout the world, most heavily in West Africa, where they were first introduced by Dutch merchants in the late 15th century.

Some very small sized 7 layer Venetian chevron beads, also made during the late 15th century, are found exclusively in the Americas, mainly in Peru, and attributed to having been introduced by Christopher Columbus.

Chevron beads are very popular collectors' items and they are still highly valued in present-day West Africa, where they continue to be worn for prestige and ceremonial purposes, and occasionally buried with the dead.

"Perle di Vetro Veneziane - Una lunga e Affascinante Storia, translated "Venetian Glass Beads, a Long and Fascinating Story".