Vintage 1980s carved Cinnabar beads. 15mm. Pkg of 6. B7-CIN019

High-quality vintage molded and carved 15mm Cinnabar beads, exported from China in the 1980s. These beads feature deep, crisp floral and geometric patterns, created through a combination of molding and hand carving, unlike the shallower designs often seen today. Each bead has a 1.4mm stringing hole and comes in a package of 6.

Please note about Cinnabar beads: Authentic Cinnabar is a deep red mercury sulfide mineral that is stunning but toxic to humans. The production of items made from real Cinnabar ceased over a century ago. Until the mid-1900s, Cinnabar was made from layers of lacquer over wood and then hand-carved, making these items rare and valuable. Since then, most Cinnabar beads have been made from molded resin. In the 1970s to 1990s, hand carving was added to enhance their appearance, but modern beads tend to have shallower molds and lack the same level of detail.

While many bead shops label these as Cinnabar to meet customer demand, it is important to understand that genuine mineral beads are no longer available.