Antique Venetian 10/0 Seed Bead Opaque Luster Dandelion #1

Antique SVC Venetian Opaque Luster 10/0 Seed Beads — Dandelion #1

Genuine Venetian 10/0 seed beads from old Società Veneziana Conterie warehouse stock, in Dandelion #1 with a luster finish over opaque glass. This is a rich, golden dandelion yellow — warmer and deeper than a lemon yellow — carrying a thin pearlescent luster coating that gives each bead a soft, glassy shimmer. The luster catches and redirects light at the surface, so massed beadwork reads as a warm gold field alive with small moving highlights, where a plain opaque yellow would sit flat.

The luster finish is a surface treatment and is part of the bead's identity: a plain opaque yellow of identical hue will read as visibly different in finished work, missing the shimmer and the slightly deepened, honeyed cast the coating lends the base color. As with all coated antique beads, avoid prolonged friction and harsh chemicals to preserve the surface. Some beads show the darker perforation contrast characteristic of luster-coated lots, where the coating does not reach inside the hole.

Warm yellows were staple colors in period Venetian beadwork, and lustered variants provided the maker a way to add light-play without moving to transparent glass. For restoration work, both the golden tone and the luster surface must match the original. Browse our full SVC yellow and luster inventory to compare against your reference material.

Sizing note: This lot's original card was marked 9/0, but measurement puts it at approximately 2.6–2.79mm — corresponding to SVC 10/0 production, and we list it by measured size. Original SVC size designations do not always align with measured dimensions; we disclose both so buyers can match with confidence. Antique beads are measured from original stock and sizing is approximate; dimensions may vary between lots. We recommend pre-sorting before count-critical work.