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Canadian Historic Sites: Occasional Papers in Archaeology and History No. 1

A Classification System for Glass Beads for the Use of Field Archaeologists,

by Kenneth E. and Martha Ann Kidd

Table 6: Description of Class "W" Beads (Fig. 9)

9 Colour plate V. (click on image for a PDF version)


"Tube"
Type	Bead Number	Shape	Size	Glass	Name of Colour

WIa	WIa1	T	L	cl	Lt. Gray
	WIa2	T	M	cl	Oyster White
	WIa3	T	M	op	White


"Round"
Type	Bead Number	Shape	Size	Glass	Name of Colour

WIb	WIb1	R	L	cl	Lt. Gray
	WIb2	R	VS	op	White
		R	S	op	White
		R	M	op	White
	WIb3	R	M	cl	Pale Blue
	WIb4	R	M	cl	Pale Blue (Opal)
		R	L	cl	Pale Blue (Opal)
		R	VL	cl	Pale Blue (Opal)
	WIb5	R	M	tr	Pale Blue (Alabaster)
		R	L	tr	Pale Blue (Alabaster)
		R	VL	tr	Pale Blue (Alabaster)
	WIb6	R	S	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIb6	R	M	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIb7	R	VS	cl	Amber
	WIb7	R	L	cl	Amber
	WIb8	R	L	cl	Maple
	WIb8	R	VL	cl	Maple
	WIb9	R	S	cl	Dk. Palm Green
	WIb10	R	VS	op	Lt. Aqua Blue
	WIb10	R	M	op	Lt. Aqua Blue
	WIb11	R	VS	op	Robin's Egg Blue
		R	S	op	Robin's Egg Blue
		R	M	op	Robin's Egg Blue
	WIb12	R	L	op	Brite Blue
	WIb13	R	VS	op	Brite Copan Blue
	WIb13	R	L	op	Brite Copan Blue
	WIb14	R	VS	op	Brite Dutch Blue
	WIb14	R	L	op	Brite Dutch Blue
	WIb15	R	L	cl	Ultramarine
	WIb16	R	L	cl	Brite Navy


"Oval"
Type	Bead Number	Shape	Size	Glass	Name of Colour

WIc	WIc1	O	S	op	White
	WIc2	O	L	cl	Pale Blue (Opal)
	WIc3	O	VL	tr	Pale Blue (Marble)
	WIc4	O	L	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIc5	O	L	cl	Amber
	WIc6	O	S	cl	Maple
	WIc7	O	S	cl	Citron
	WIc8	O	L	cl	Turquoise
	WIc9	O	S	op	Aqua Blue
	WIc10	O	L	op	Lt. Aqua Blue
	WIc11	O	L	cl	Ultramarine


"Donut"
Type	Bead Number	Shape	Size	Glass	Name of Colour

WId	WId1	DO	L	cl	Amber
	WId2	DO	L	cl	Maple
	WId3	DO	L	cl	Turquoise
	WId4	DO	L	cl	Amethyst


"Corn Beads"
Type	Bead Number	Glass	Name of Colour

WIIa	WIIa1	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIIa2	op	Surf Green
	WIIa3	cl	Dk. Palm Green


Flat "Disk" Beads
Type	Bead Number	Glass	Name of Colour

WIIb	WIIb1	cl	Ultramarine


Facetted "Five Sided" Beads
Type	Bead Number	Glass	Name of Colour

WIIc	WIIc1	cl	Black
	WIIc2	cl	op Lt. Gray
	WIIc3	cl	Pale Blue (Opal)
	WIIc4	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIIc5	cl	Amber
	WIIc6	cl	Cinnamon
	WIIc7	cl	Teal Green
	WIIc8	cl	Turquoise
	WIIc9	cl	Lt. Aqua Blue
	WIIc10	cl	Brite Copan Blue
	WIIc11	cl	Ultramarine
	WIIc12	cl	Brite Navy
	WIIc13	cl	Amethyst


"Raspberry Beads"
Type	Bead Number	Glass	Name of Colour

WIId	WIId1	cl	Lt. Gray
	WIId2	cl	Pale Blue (Opal)
	WIId3	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIId4	cl	Amber
	WIId5	cl	Ultramarine
	WIId6	cl	Brite Navy
	WIId7	cl	Amethyst


"Melon" Beads
Type	Bead Number	Glass	Name of Colour

WIIe	WIIe1	cl	Lt. Gray
	WIIe2	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIIe3	cl	Amber
	WIIe4	cl	Cinnamon
	WIIe5	cl	Teal Green
	WIIe6	cl	Brite Copan Blue
	WIIe7	cl	Ultramarine
	WIIe8	cl	Brite Navy

"Ridged Tube" Beads
Type	Bead Number	Size	Glass	Name of Colour

WIIf	WIIf1	M	cl	Lt. Gold
	WIIf2	L	cl	Maple
	WIIf3	M	cl	Apple Green
	WIIf4	M	op	Surf Green
	WIIf5	L	cl	Turquoise


Round Bead wtih Pressed Design
Type	Bead Number	Size	Glass	Name of Colour

WIIg	WIIg1	M	cl	Lt. Gold
WIIg	WIIg2	M	cl	Apple Green

WIII Type is any Wirewound bead of WI or WII Type with applied Decoration
	Type	Bead Number	Glass	Colour	Decoration

Solid Plain Glass Overlay	WIIIa	WIIIa1	tr	White	with op Coral Plain Coating
Solid Plain Glass Overlay	WIIIa	WIIIa2	tr	White	with cl Amethyst Plain Coating

Plain Glass Overlaid in a Design	WIIIb	WIIIb1	tr	White	with 3 groups of 3 cl Dk. Palm Green Dots

Plain Glass Inlaid in a Design	WIIIc	WIIIc1	cl	Ultramarine	- A Side; 3 five pointed stars and comet - B Side; Man in the moon and five pointed star
Plain Glass Inlaid in a Design	WIIIc	WIIIc2	cl	Ultramarine	- A Side; 3 five pointed stars with "S" growing out of top star - B Side; Crescent Moon connected to cross (Variation of WIIIcl)

Complex Designed Glass Overlay	WIIId	WIIId1	cl	Ruby	Large Oval with fine cane of op White & cl Brite Navy twisted together applied in a spiral around bead

Overlay of Material Other than Glass	WIIIe	WIIIe1	op	Black	"Melon" with Gold Leaf Overlay


Last Updated: 2006-10-24	To the top