About African Beads

Carnelian beads are a type of gemstone jewelry made from carnelian quartz. Carnelian originates from places such as India and China and is used to craft exquisite beads by hand, and in well defined dimensions. Big carnelian beads are comparatively opaque, while the smaller ones appear to be more translucent. These beads appear in colors such as deep orange, red, brown and yellow. The reason for this diversity in the color of carnelian beads is the fact that the bead making procedure involves heating and shaping agate severally. Thereafter, the beads have to be grilled in order to achieve the final desired shape.

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Padre beads are glass beads whose origin is traced back to ancient China. In the late 18th century, these beads spread rapidly in use in Southwest and Northwest America, following the trading patterns of Russian and Spanish traders. Padre beads were available in 3 sizes: jumbo Dogons measuring 5/8’s to ¾ inches in diameter; mid-sized Crow beads measuring 3/8’s inches in diameter and the small Pony beads measuring 3/16’s inches in diameter. Padre beads were available in a variety of colors, with blue and white being most valuable historically and the only ones acceptable for trade amongst the Indians.

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King beads are old Venetian wound and marvered bicone beads. There is a legend behind the naming of these beads which holds that these beads were worn by African Kings and tribal chiefs during the mass importation of African trade beads in the early 1970s. The earliest versions of King beads are dated to the mid 19th century, with their representations having been made on bead sample cards donated by Moses Lewin Levin to the British Museum in 1865. King beads still hold a place of importance in modern African society where they are prominently featured in Dipo Initiation ceremonies held in Ghana, with the yellow King beads being used to symbolize maturity and prosperity. King beads are today available in a wide range of attractive colors, sizes and designs – but always in the bicone shape.

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Snake beads were popularly worn by members of traditional African society as a form of protection from evil charms and ill fate. The modern woman, although not in the least bit superstitious, may also adorn herself in attractive snake beads by simply slipping a strand over her head. Alternatively, one may get a little creative and use a strand to accent a unique piece to wear or to give away as a gift. An exquisite modern design of African snake beads features long 22 – 28 inch strands of handmade glass beads which are interlocked in a design resembling snake vertebra and strung on raffia.

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Olumbo beads are old Czech beads made from glass which were popularly worn by the Nigerian people at the height of African trade in the past centuries. Olumbo beads were part of the selection of African trade beads which were used for purposes of trade by African kings and chiefs while trading in slaves, ivory and other goods with western sea faring merchants as far back as the late eighteenth century. Today, Olumbo beads can be strung on raffia – bead to bead, to create beautiful bracelets and necklaces for the discerning beaded jewelry lover. The beads are usually available in attractive colors such as pink and various other shades of red, but can be found in green.

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Venetian beads are made using a bead making technique which originated in Venice during the late nineteenth century and were historically used as trading currency in Africa. Today, antique Venetian beads are prized by bead collectors around the world due to their rarity. Venetian beads are renowned for their very high level of craftsmanship and the fact that every bead is made by hand, which makes each individual bead unique. Venetian beads are also recognized for their distinctive floral appearance, as well as their beauty, intricate designs and vivid colors which make them ideal choices for creating the most exquisite of jewelry items.

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Button beads are small glass beads which resemble modern buttons, although they do not have a group of central holes. These beads date back to the Etruscan period and the time of the Roman Empire, but later found their way to Syria and Egypt. Button beads are generally very beautiful and boast artistic workmanship. Today as in the past, button beads are used to make exquisite necklaces using these beads entirely, some of which may be cemented together two and two in order to form a single bead. Button beads take on various shapes including circular, flat, oval, plane, convex or convex-concave shapes.

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Kiffa beads are rare powder glass beads which acquired their name from Kiffa, a city in Mauritania where they were first documented by French ethnologist R. Mauny in 1949. Kiffa beads represent one of the highest levels of bead making skill, artistry and ingenuity due to the fact that they were created using the simplest tools and materials available, and in open fires. These materials included pulverized European glass beads or their fragments, bottle glass, tin cans, pottery shards, steel needles and some gum Arabic. Decorations for the beads were made from the glass slurry – the crushed glass mixed with a binder and then applied using a pointed tool such as a steel needle. The beads were then placed in small containers such as sardine cans and thereafter heated to fuse them in an open fire, without the need for molds.

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Originally made using salts from the Dead Sea, Hebron beads date back to earlier than the mid-19th century. Hebron beads – also referred to as “Kano beads”, are commonly found in a dull yellow color, although they also appear in various shades of green and blue, although rare. These beads are a favorite amongst antique bead collectors who cherish them for their rich history which saw them travel from Egypt, along the Nile, into the Sudan and even as far as Ghana to adorn the bodies of West African royalty. Their craftsmanship involves their being wound straight in furnace to produce a shining glass bead. The larger of the Hebron beads are referred to as Mongur, while the smaller ones go by the name Harish.

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Jade beads are crafted from the jade gemstone and are popularly used in making attractive modern jewelry pieces. You will find that most jade beads will vary in shape and size since each bead is cut by hand and then has its hole drilled by hand as well. Of course this is a bonus as you are assured of having a unique jewelry item which no other person could possibly have. Jade beads come in luscious shades of avocado green which swirl through the individual beads and are great for jewelry lovers who are into earth tone colors.

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