Cherry Amber Bakelite Rosary- Old German Faturan

Cherry Amber Bakelite Rosary – Old German Faturan. 33 beads, 60 grams, 14 x 13 mm.

The Original Old German Faturan.

Old German Faturan, originally made by chemist, by melting down remnants from amber and mixing it with other natural resins, such as mastika, frankincense, colophony, and turpentine, to mold individual beads from natural substances. The original formula has been lost long time ago. Developed in early 20th century and produced until the 1940s. First beads from amber fillings mixed with other natural resins, rather than synthetic, was made in 18th century, long before the well known synthetic resins were mass-produced.

Genuine pre-war Faturan.

The original and genuine Faturan beads were mainly in shades of red or yellow. The last genuine Faturan beads were made in the 1940s, and production ended mainly due to the Second World War when the supply of raw material became very scarce. The demand for genuine Faturan, often confused for amber, has always been great among prayer bead, tasbih and komboloi collectors. Genuine pre-war Faturan, with beads still intact, in complete strands, and made from one single type of material, are considered museum items and fetch extremely high prices by both institutional and individual auction bidders.