Minerals and Metals in Ancient India v1.c11.s9.1

v1.c11.s9.1

Among all the beads those were found from Mohenjo-Daro, steatite occupies the most prominent place. Almost three-quarters of the beads were either cut out of steatite or moulded from a paste made of the ground-up stone. The latter is very common and unless optical means are employed it is very difficult to distinguish them from the natural stone. Mackay does not believe that beads made of this steatite paste were shaped in a mould, because not a single mould for bead-making has been found from there. Mackay comments, that the steatite paste was probably made up into blocks from which the beads were curved in the same way as they would have been from the natural stone. Or it may be that a great pressure would make powdered steatite stay together, although no binding substance is found.