Circa 2nd millennium B.C. and later. Composed of restrung graduated and polished beads, each etched with a white geometric design on both faces. Cf. Nandagopal, P., ‘Decorated Carnelian Beads from the Indus Civilization Site of Dholavira (Great Rann of Kachchha, Gujarat)’ in Frenez, D., Jamison, G.M., Randall, W.L., Vidale, M., Meadow, R.H., Walking with the Unicorn Social Organization and Material Culture in Ancient South Asia, Oxford, 2018, pp.475-485, figs.3,8,9. 12.1 grams, 50 cm long (19 3/4 in.).

UK gallery, early 2000s.

Etched carnelian beads are characteristic of the Indus Valley culture and have been produced since the third millennium B.C. They are a typical product of the Harappa culture, but they are also attested in later millennia and produced elsewhere in Southeast Asia. The oldest specimens come from the Indus Valley and from Mesopotamia. A few specimens were found in the so-called royal cemetery of Ur, where they were identified in the excavation publication as coming from India. [No Reserve]