4. Conclusion

Colonists establishing the first permanent English settlement in America brought with them a variety of glass beads for trade with the local indigenous population. Blue beads dominated their assemblage, especially those that were robin's-egg blue, nueva cadiz-like turquoise, and nueva cadiz-like navy blue. Jamestown's beads resembled those in collections from 16^th-century Spanish colonial sites more than examples from other early 17^th-century English settlements in America. The bead assemblage found by recent Jamestown Rediscovery excavations suggested a transition in Venetian bead production practices from the larger and more elaborate varieties found on earlier Spanish sites to the smaller and less decorative types on later English sites. Jamestown's bead collection is unique and may represent an interim mix of bead styles or the last remnants of outdated Venetian merchandise.