English: Fragment of a turquoise faience Roman melon bead with regular diagonal grooves. The turquoise glaze survives well in the grooves.

Sally Worrell adds: This type of bead was in use during the 1st and 2nd centuries, being most common in the 1st century, particularly on military sites. Faience melon beads were produced in a wide range of sizes and have wide perforations and convex profile 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. It is likely that the smaller beads were 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.