On the trail of Viking beads

I’m researching Viking beads, I’d like to be able to create some beads based on designs from the Viking era.  I’ve found a few images and sites online with photos of reproductions and some actual Viking beads – I’ve also found some really neat diagrams of different designs on DARC’s site.

DARC (Dark Ages Re-Creation Company) has a whole section dedicated to beads and beadmaking – you can find it here.  Here’s a sample of the bead charts that Neil Peterson has posted there -

Click here to see all the charts!

Neil’s researching how the beads would have been made by building furnaces from cob and experimenting with their shapes and functionality.  While I don’t see myself building one of these furnaces it is very interesting to read his progress because it gives me an even greater appreciation of the skill of these beadmakers.

Bellows would have been used to help keep the furnace up to a temperature high enough to melt the glass, which would have been wound onto mandrels similar to those we use today.  Annealing of the beads would most likely have taken place in special receptacles built right into the furnace.

I am particularly amazed by the checkerboard designs in some of these beads and would really like to try and replicate these beads.  I’ve seen them made with polymer clay but glass is a whole other thing.  The Vikings would have used murrini that came from Venice.  Placing murrini precisely into bead is a challenge, even with our modern equipment and techniques – I’d love to be able to sit and watch the Vikings do this – no wonder beads were such highly prized possessions to them!

Here are some of the other links I’ve found containing information on Viking Beads -

• Arkeodoc – Viking artifacts available on CD’s
• Viking Answer Lady – Images and information on Viking beads
• Viking Pendant Reproduction – Photo and information on Viking necklace styles
• Article about Viking Age glass and amber
• Timeless Beads – Jhan A. Knebel’s information on recreating period beads
• Sword Beads – Information on sword beads from Cauldron Farm

And to finish up this post a little sample of my first batch of Viking inspired beads -