Real beads with a medal

Genuine beads consist of four cords with red beads and a few black ones strung around on them. They also have a silver medallion pinned to the longest, lower string. The additional decoration form was made from decoratively framed Russian or Austro-Hungarian coins. Here, it is a Russian coin [for more, see E/697/ML]. The presented beads have factory-made ribbons with pink, white and black vertical stripes attached at both ends. They were used for lengthening and for tying a decorative bow at the back of the neck.

Such jewellery was worn with festive costumes, but only on the most important occasions due to its high value. Only wealthy women could afford ‘real’, natural beads. Such a purchase was often considered a good investment, as it was the equivalent of buying a cow or a morga of land. The size and type of coral and the number of strings determined the woman’s prestige, social position, and wealth. For these reasons, they were inherited, bequeathed in wills or legacies, and sometimes served as collateral for loans.

They were the object of dreams of many young women, who wanted to own them not only for their price or good looks but also because they were supposed to have magical properties. They gained them because of their colour – red, which according to folk beliefs in Poland and other parts of Europe, was supposed to protect their owner from evil spells and ensure health. It was commonly believed that their changed colour meant a disease in the body or was a sign of recovery. They were also thought to prevent eye and thyroid diseases.