Inner lining of glass bugle beads?
 

Good evening,

I am a graduate student working on my thesis in textile conservation at FIT. My thesis is on the conservation of a 1920s Chanel evening dress which is heavily embellished with glass bugle beads with two colors of linings. As my job is to conserve the glass beads as well as the silk ground I need to try to gain an idea of what might be lining them. I have been completely unable to find anyone who has an idea what might have lined glass beads back in the 1920s in France, so I am now reaching out in hope that you might be able and willing to help.

I have attached an image of the beads in question. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time!

You might start with looking up mercury as a mirror material. I'm not sure when they stopped using it as a liner in the bugle beads.

Paging Floor Kaspers. ;)

Florida or Fashion Institute? If it's Fashion Institute of Technology, you're fairly close to Corning and they may could help direct you in your research.

http://www.beadmuseum.com
Floor Kaspers is a wonderful resource on European mass produced beads. I'd tap her knowledge if I could. It will certainly help guide you in the direction you need to go in. It is very possible, if not highly probable, she has a sample card in her studio of those exact beads.

Floor is a published author on bead history!

Her member name is Floorkasp. If anyone here would know, she would.

Thank you everyone for your responses!! For some reason it didn't email to alert me even though I thought I had it set to.

ESC - I will test for mercury tomorrow, we have the materials in our lab :)

SGA - I am at the Fashion Institute of Technology, but still a 5 hour drive from the Corning Glass Museum. I did, however, email them and the one in Jablonec yesterday. Still waiting on responses... I will send an email to Ms. Kaspar's right now!

Thank you all again!

Received the email, and will get back to Bethany soon.
The type of substance used depends on several factors. For 1920's, mercury is less likely. Could be silver ammonium nitrate.
Anyway, I'll look into what I can find for that period.

I find this discussion fascinating; it's like a serial drama!

I am now going through a German book from 1931 about the silvering of beads.....
Anyway, Bethany and I are swapping info.

For those who like to know: it most likely is indeed silver ammonium nitrate. They stopped using mercury (not so healthy) and started using this new stuff in the mid 1800's. Still not so healthy, because they sucked it up with their mouth. Started using mechanical ways of sucking, still being used today. For the bugle beads, the silver solution would get sucked in when it is still in long pieces, so before they are cut into smaller pieces.

This is so interesting. I have a couple of beaded purses that were my grandmother's (about the 20's) that the silvering still looks great, but beads I used for bead weaving about 20 years ago have all dulled and look like crap now.

I agree, fascinating discussion. My beaded items from that period still look good.

Georgia