CBR-BID

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Bead Identification Certificates

Members, Patrons and Supporters of the Center are entitled to free Bead Identification Certificates. See Membership. If you want a bead to be identified, contact the Office.
Select "ID Certificate" as the Subject. See an actual example here.

These are issued by special request. To issue a certificate it is necessary to examine the beads first-hand (no matter how good, pictures are never a substitute).

To have a bead certified, send it by registered or insured mail along with any information you have on it. Enclose a check for $25 for each different bead involved, along with return postage.

We subject the bead to a series of non-destructive tests appropriate for the material involved. We search the literature and our own collections to find references, parallels and other information about the bead. Our findings are detailed in the Certificate. There is no charge if we fail to make an identification.

Who uses this service? Many people. Several collectors have discovered that they were being offered fakes. Dealers use the Certificates as Letters of Authenticity (we do not appraise, though will suggest prices for recent beads). We have shown that some "beads" are only fossils, have pinpointed the origin of ethnic pieces, and have helped researchers understand what they have.

Members, Patrons and Supporters of the Center are entitled to free Bead Identification Certificates. See Membership. If you want a bead to be identified, contact the Office.

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