Glass Beads Found off Georgia Coast

Have you seen the article? (All credit for this post and pictures goes to www.livescience.com).

"A cache of some 70,000 glass beads from all over the world has been unearthed at an island off Georgia, comprising the largest repository ever from what was one of the Spanish empire's most remote and wealthy outposts, and revealing more about 17th-century trade routes...'We also have found perhaps the first evidence of Spanish beadmaking, along with beads from the main centers of Italy, France, and the Netherlands'...Years of analysis reveal roughly 130 different types of beads on the island...Most of the more common beads are of Venetian and potentially French origin, with new research suggesting that one of the most common beads of the 17th century, the Ichtucknee blue, was manufactured in France...Some of the unique beads, though, may be Spanish, Chinese, Bohemian, Indian or Baltic in origin."

Isn't this amazing? What a find! Aren't they lovely? I would love to see some of these beads up close...and to touch some! Historical findings are fascinating...and to think that these beautiful little gems were made and handled by people 100's of years ago and lasted this long. What an interesting article!