MWE&D Adventures of Captain Jack: Red Skunk Bead

[Captain Matt]

A Gorgeous day/morning/afternoon/evening/night to you gentleman of the seas    and lovely ladies  

Yesterday (8/30/14) I had the opportunity venture on a little side trip with my supportive girlfriend to a port near Old West Des Moines called Valley Junction which has a number of cool stores dealing in antiques, novelty items, art, vintage clothing and perhaps even some vintage rum.  As I work on commandeering the necessary treasures to create the most genuine Kuchi Dangle (and other wardrobe effects) as I can for the wig I am designing, there were 2 stores specifically that I wanted to check out that deal in beads and stones!  I relish perusing this kind of store for diamonds in the rough as it were, and although the odds are low in finding Jack items, given the rare nature of the genuine Jack items many of us seek to create our second identities (or first, that was indeed my mission! The result of said treasure hunting: Not one, but both eccelectic stores revealed successfully motivating experiences! On the grand scheme of specific finds were not dramatically rare events, however, in my own adventure, they are very special ones, as this entire endeavor is special and meaningful to me!

ONE OF THE COVETED TREASURES -  a single rare 150+ year old Venetian African Skunk Bead - complete with beautifully perfect flaws! This will be used in my Kuchi Dangle.  



It is so awesome to think about the history of this 1 single bead!  The energy that it contains from it's creation to the many adventures it has been on and the twists and turns of fate that had to transpire to have it end up in my hands! So Cool!

There are a number of the sites that sell Venetian African Skunk Beads available on the market out there. However, having the opportunity to fine some examples of these rare beads in person, at a tiny bead store in Old West Des Moines, IA was special.  Many of us end up ordering things online, and what a blessing the internet has become in assisting us in our searches for coveted items and information  However, online purchases certainly take away from the personal, hands on experiences and the human experience as well!  The conversation with the owner, Dennis, and his 40 year passion for beads and collecting them from around the world, was priceless, not to mention establishing a new friend and resource for future items.  The bead that I acquired from him was not sitting out on the shelf or hanging from a strand.  It was from his own personal collection - the "back of the store stash" of treasure as it were!  

"The highly collectible red variant were originally known as 'Cornaline d'Aleppo', so named after the Aleppo Stone ('Eye Stone') thought to originate within Syria.
Originally made in Venice, these beads were commonly used for trading purposes in Africa during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Skunk beads are a must have for every collector worth their salt and today grace many private collections around the world. Because of the increasing popularity of skunk beads amongst bead lovers today, African bead traders now have to go deeper into Africa to find more of these skunk beads which are becoming rarer with each passing decade – which of course makes them even more collectable."

Needless to say, any hesitation I may have had in moving forward with creating my own Kuchi Dangle have been replaced with a Pirates passion for treasure hunting and the adventure that comes with it! You can see the other simple treasure I found under the category pertaining to the waistcoat.

Enjoy the energy in your week! It's going to be an awesome one!