This large globular, polychrome bead is black in colour and decorated with yellow and black ‘eye’ motifs, together with white and turquoise zig-zag trails.

The arrangement of these trails creates a diagonal, trailed cross between each setting, with four formed by crossed white trails and two by a combination of white and turquoise. The decoration produces a six-pointed star effect around the perforations at each end of the bead.

This complex design gives the bead a striking and visually dynamic appearance.

The bead can be dated to the very late 4th to early 5th centuries AD. Beads decorated with zig-zag or wave patterns have a wide geographic distribution, and examples of this type are relatively common.