File:Roman, melon bead (FindID 130551).jpg

English: Fragment of a faience melon bead of Roman date (50-200 AD). The bead is irregular in plan and cross section. Originally it would probably have been sub-oval shape in plan with a central hole. The outer edge of the bead would have been ridged or grooved; a number of these grooves survive on the fragment. The bead is covered with a bright turquoise glaze; this seems to have been applied to the whole bead but has been lost in a number of places due to abrasion. The glaze itself is crystalline in places and appears uneven under magnification. Where this glaze has been removed a pale blue/buff coloured surface is revealed. This is most evident on the raised ridges and the edges of the breaks. The fragment measures 14.2mm length, 13.2mm width, is 5.3mm thick and weighs 1.03 grams.

Sally Worrell writes: Faience melon beads were in use during the 1st and 2nd centuries, being most common in the 1st century, particularly on military sites. They were produced in a range of sizes and tend to have wide perforations and convex profiles with vertical or slightly diagonal grooves scored into the outside surface. They were produced in a wide range of blue shades ranging from turquoise to bright blue with a buff/greyish core although in many cases the glaze has completely disappeared or survives only in the grooves.

The exact function for these beads is somewhat elusive. The smaller faience beads were probably used in a similar manner to other beads as a form of personal adornment, although the larger faience and glass melon beads may have been impractical to wear, particularly around the neck. An alternative function is that they were used as decoration for horse harness and the heavy abrasion especially at the perforations, as is the case with this bead, may support this proposition.