BEAUTIFUL BICONE BEADS
Truncated Convex & Straight-Sided Bicone Forms
 
This chapter explores one of the most timeless and graceful shapes in bead history: the bicone bead. A bicone is formed like two cones joined at their bases, broader at the center and tapering evenly toward each end. The result is a perfectly balanced, symmetrical form that feels harmonious both to the eye and in the hand: a shape that seems designed as much for beauty as for balance.

Most of the beads presented here are truncated, meaning their ends are cut flat rather than pointed, giving them a finished, architectural precision. The sides may be either convex, gently bulging outward in a soft, bow-like curve, or straight-sided, creating a clean, sharper edge along the midline. Both forms reflect subtle variations of proportion and style that reveal the artisan's intent, whether to express elegance, symmetry, or strength.
 
From the Protohistoric villages of Mehrgarh to the urban workshops of the Indus Valley (circa 5000 - 1900 B.C.), beadmakers showed a remarkable spirit of experimentation; refining proportions, drilling techniques, and the use of stone with an inventiveness unmatched in later times.
 

SULEMANI BEADS FROM BURMA

 
    
 
Their innovations laid the foundation for a continuous lapidary tradition that endured for millennia.
 
By the Mauryan period (circa 320 - 185 B.C.), this long evolution reached a new balance between artistry and practicality. The bicone and the ball bead emerged as dominant forms, shaped as much by aesthetic harmony as by comfort and wearability. Beads in general also became smaller and more discreet, reflecting changing tastes and the practical needs of adornment in daily life.

This transition from monumental to more wearable forms marks not a decline in artistry but an adaptation; a continuation of the Indus lapidary legacy, expressed through new proportions, new materials, and new purposes.
  
From these early traditions, the bicone form spread widely through Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, and Egypt, carried along ancient trade routes. Across these regions, it remained a favored type: prized for its balance, beauty, and enduring symbolism.
 

Sulemani Bicone Beads from Burma
The first group displayed here consists of exceptionally beautiful bicone Sulemani beads, most probably crafted by Burma's ancient artisans. The stone material itself points at central Burma as place of origin more than India.
  
I have rarely seen such colors or contrasts: black translucent and opaque agate intertwined with flowing bands of white and gray, creating a quiet yet powerful harmony. Each bead was hand-polished and oil-cooked, a process that deepens both color and luster. Many still retain a soft, oily reflection, shimmering as if freshly finished despite their great age.

'New' Ancient Beads
Close examination of the perforations reveals ancient drilling techniques characteristic of beadmaking about 2,000 years ago. Yet the surfaces tell another story: they show no trace of wear. These beads appear almost new, untouched by long use, though time has given them a subtle excavation patina and a gentle, satin-like sheen.
 

Buddhist Relic Beads
I was once contacted by a wealthy businessman from Singapore who wished to purchase an eye bead from my collection. During our conversation, he explained that he had no intention of wearing the bead. Instead, he planned to enshrine it within his family's private stupa. His intention, he said, was to infuse the reliquary with the spiritual energy believed to reside within the bead.

Burial Beads
It is likely that the beads shown here were preserved in a similar manner: reverently stored as precious jewels in ancient burial sites or placed as sacred offerings within Buddhist stupas. Such discoveries are often referred to as burial relic beads; beads never intended to be worn, but rather crafted as enduring symbols of devotion, sanctity, and the eternal.

 

The beads were found at Matehtilay, Maline in central Burma (modern Myanmar), a discovery that points to a possibly widespread tradition of producing beads intended solely for burial or ritual purposes.
 
Similar practices are particularly well-documented in northeastern Burma, near the Chinese border, especially in Kachin State and the upper Chindwin region, where large numbers of ancient agate and carnelian beads have been unearthed. Many of these beads originate from burial sites and Buddhist reliquary contexts, including stupas and ancient cemetery mounds.
 

Archaeological and antiquarian evidence, gathered from early explorations as well as more recent local excavations, indicates that some beads were never intended to be worn. Instead, they were created specifically as ritual or funerary offerings.

This practice, also observed in other parts of Buddhist and pre-Buddhist Southeast Asia, reflects a longstanding tradition of devotion, symbolism, and spiritual craftsmanship: a tradition that, as seen in the case of the aforementioned Singaporean businessman, still endures today.

Burma is mostly know for pumtek beads, beads made out of fossilized wood. The ones displayed here are not typical for the region and their uniqueness of is underscored by the fact that similar examples are known only from a single site in Bangladesh, highlighting the cultural and artistic distinctiveness of this ancient Burmese tradition.

Ancient beads from Mahastan, Bangladesh.
Note the apparent similarity to
bead no. 4 in the first row

BICONE BEADS FROM AFGHANISTAN

These Afghan bicone beads display a quieter beauty, distinguished by their subtle banding in soft whites, creams, and warm honey tones. The material differs from the Burmese examples. The agate here is lighter and less translucent, and the craftsmanship a touch less refined. Yet the same classical bicone form endures, testifying to the wide cultural reach of this design.




 

Unlike the unworn burial relic beads of Burma, these Afghan pieces were clearly used in life. Their slightly rounded edges, gentle surface abrasions, and the muted polish all speak of long handling and wear. These traces of human contact give them a warmth and immediacy: an echo of the lives they once adorned.