Hanks of glass seed beads on cards

Rocaille beads (seed beads with no flat sides) and Charlotte beads (glass seed beads with one or more flat sides) are both commonly found in nyonya beadwork, often on the same object. They are known collectively as manek potong. European glass seed beads were mass-produced from the late 15th century. Smaller and more colourful beads were made possible by technological advances in glassmaking around 1760. Venice, Bohemia, and Lyons were well known centres of bead production in the early 20th century. These beads belonged to Alice Choo (1926-2019. Like most nyonyas, she was taught to bead and embroider at home.

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