So what is the real difference between antique flowers?

This is probably going to sound silly, but so many people want these beads (I don't particularly like flower beads, so this doesn't include me) and I am trying to keep an eye out for other people but I am finding it really hard to spot "good" ones.

I mean I know that the new ones are a mauve/pale colour background and the old ones are green, but apparently there are two types of green ones, is it just the background that is darker or is it the colour of the flower that differs also? I don't want to get artificially excited about finding a bead for a friend and then mess it up .

Can someone post a comparison photo please? Bead-dazzled did an admirable job of explaining it to me, but a photo would make me feel much more secure if I come across one!

My old AF's have both purple flowers and brilliant blue flowers. Quite different! Some of the base greens are more solid looking, while other are more translucent.

I don't have any new AF's, but adore my older ones just because of the different colors of the flowers.

Edited to add a pic. Not the best but you get the idea of different colored flowers.

The flowers can be in different colors (see Anne's picture) but also there's difference in the green. Sometimes there's just a green base with clear greenish glass on top, but there are AF where the glass on top isn't clear but full of green swirls. The purple in Anne's pic seems to have clear glass where it looks like the other has swirls in them

I hope this helps?

Thanks both, which are the most desirable ones then? The clear green or the swirly green or does that just depend on the taste of each person?

Here are two flowers where you can see the difference in the green base color.
It´s a matter of personal taste which color for the base and the flowers is best

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I have a bunch of old AF's, and not one matches. I'll have to post a picture when I get my photo editing software for my new PC. Hopefully I can go shopping tomorrow, I'm trapped in the house with kids all this week.

Here's mine. I'm ususally not a fan of flower beads either, but I love the colours of my old AF, I wouldn't want one with blue flower petals...
Others love them with the blue flower, so I'd ask people you are looking for if they prefer blue or violet flowers in their old AF's.

Snowy, that is exactly what I needed, thank you! Thank you everybody for your hel and input

I think I have a photo of a few - now getting it to post may be a different matter...!



Hope this works!

I LOVE this bead, one of my absolute favourites! When I first started collecting my aim was to have enough for a whole bracelet, and I have just found a my final one (not on pic).

I love the ones with purple flowers, but I now have 2 with blue flowers, just to add a bit of interest

I have noticed that there are 2 main types of old AF. The first (and the ones I actually found hardest to find) are the ones with the lovely sage colour green and violet flowers. The sage green does vary in shade, but the colour is the same if that makes sense :/ The other type has a brighter green with clearly pale blue flowers. I have a few that look as though they are somewhere in the middle, but on closer inspection I think they fall into the 'violet' group.
On the violet flower type I have seen the sage green glass vary from almost opaque to very translucent. On the pale blue flower type i have only seen translucent green glass, but it is often stripy.

Hope this helps!
(from a huge AF enthusiast )

Oh the photos don't fit!! There are extra beads to the right! Can anyone help?!

Lollipop wrote:Oh the photos don't fit!! There are extra beads to the right! Can anyone help?!

Not sure how to make the photo fit the page, but if the viewer double clicks on the photo, it'll open it out to show the whole picture x

I see somebody has fixed the photos, thank you!!

I have one and hope to find another in the future,they are truly beautiful and unique x

Wow! Lollipop! For a sec I thought your LD was selling out...
I only have one, and at the very last moment when Trollbeads sold these AF's. But if I see one like MMP's, or LLP's purplest ones I'd get it right away!

Lollipop wrote:I think I have a photo of a few - now getting it to post may be a different matter...!



Hope this works!

I LOVE this bead, one of my absolute favourites! When I first started collecting my aim was to have enough for a whole bracelet, and I have just found a my final one (not on pic).

I love the ones with purple flowers, but I now have 2 with blue flowers, just to add a bit of interest

I have noticed that there are 2 main types of old AF. The first (and the ones I actually found hardest to find) are the ones with the lovely sage colour green and violet flowers. The sage green does vary in shade, but the colour is the same if that makes sense :/ The other type has a brighter green with clearly pale blue flowers. I have a few that look as though they are somewhere in the middle, but on closer inspection I think they fall into the 'violet' group.
On the violet flower type I have seen the sage green glass vary from almost opaque to very translucent. On the pale blue flower type i have only seen translucent green glass, but it is often stripy.

Hope this helps!
(from a huge AF enthusiast )

SWEET CRAP Lollipop! Look at those AFs! I LOVE THEM!!!

Lollipop they look so great all together like that. Glad you have the last one you needed to finish your bracelet!

Lollipop wrote:I think I have a photo of a few - now getting it to post may be a different matter...!

(from a huge AF enthusiast )

I love your collection of AF's , they look so great together

Here are all of my AF's on a bracelet. At first I tried to find ones that matched, and then I learned it was better to appreciate the variations in them.

I've also seen a big difference in how 'deep' the clear glass is. One of mine is clear virtually the whole way through (front), one is mossy almost the whole way through (right), the others in-between. obviously there is a difference in the colour and the level of definition of the flowers too.
https://2img.net/r/ihimizer/i/dsc04759e.jpg/
sorry - don't know how to insert images properly yet!

Hokie Smokes Lollipop, those are lovely. I have three and they vary form the sage green to the brighter green and the flowers from violet to blue.

I have found the flowers of new AFs vary as much as the flowers did in the old style.

I just found this thread. I am sooooo jealous. I love Antique Flowers but sadly only have one. Here is a picture of my one lonely AF. I really think it needs at least one friend, don't you?

Amazing collection of AFs, Lollipop! Very beautiful--even by themselves on a stick!

Here are mine on a combo:

Here are some of mine on a combo I made a while ago - I have swapped some of these for more translucent AFs now......



and here is a more translucent one:

Oh how I wish I had started collecting earlier!! All of the old AF's are beautiful but I think I like the translucent ones the best. However, if I were to ever come across one, I wouldn't leave a more opaque one behind - I would just be thankful to have found one!! Thank you all for sharing your pictures and please excuse me while I go wipe the drool off of my keyboard!!