Detail & Features
These are the kind of beads that make us stop and stare. ✨
Our Antique Yellow Uranium Vaseline Glass Trade Beads are beautiful old African trade beads sourced from Ethiopia, with an incredible luminous color that shifts from lemon yellow and chartreuse to soft yellow-green.
Each bead is wonderfully imperfect, with a softly faceted bicone shape and translucent glass that seems to glow even in ordinary light. Look closely and you'll see all the character that comes with genuinely old glass—tiny pits, scratches, surface wear, irregular shapes, darker markings, and subtle variations from bead to bead. These aren't flaws; they're part of the history and exactly what makes antique trade beads so special.
And yes—they GLOW. 💚
Put these beauties under a black light and the glass fluoresces an incredible electric green, characteristic of uranium Vaseline glass. It's a dramatic transformation from their already gorgeous yellow-green color in daylight and one of the reasons this historic glass is so fascinating to collectors.
Vaseline and uranium glass has a long history, with yellow and yellow-green glass of this type produced in Europe and traded throughout Africa. These beads were sourced in Ethiopia, where antique European glass trade beads can still be found today.
We're offering them in carefully selected sets of five. Mix them into a modern strand, add one as an unexpected pop of color, or let their wonderfully wonky shapes take center stage in earrings, bracelets, or necklaces.
Old glass. Incredible color. A little history. And a secret glow that only comes out under UV light. What's not to love?
✨The Magic is in the Details✨
Approx. Bead Size: 14x11mm
Number of Beads: 5
Material: Antique Uranium / Vaseline Glass
Color: Translucent Lemon Yellow, Yellow-Green + Chartreuse
Shape: Faceted Bicone
Style: Antique African Trade Bead
Sourced From: Ethiopia
Likely Origin: European / Bohemian glassmaking
UV Reaction: Fluoresces bright green under black light
Please note: These are genuine old trade beads and each one is unique. Color, size, shape, surface texture, patina, and signs of age will vary. Your set of five will be selected from our available collection.
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