| AFRICAN TRADE BEADS |
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Trade Beads is the generic term used to describe the many types of bead that were used for trading all sorts of comodities across the continent of Africa.
This is a selection of the more common Trade Beads. |
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Millefiori
Or thousand flower beads come in an endless variety of colours and designs. These are the beads most people think of as trade beads. They were made in Murano,Venice. |
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Snakebone
Moulded interlocking beads resembling the vertebrae of a snake. Probably of Czechoslovakian origin. |
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Dogon
Round or oval plain glass beads - white through various shades of blue to black. Favoured by the Dogon of Mali, originally of Dutch origin. |
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Sada
Milky, translucent glass beads varying in size and length, known as Sada in West Africa.
They seem to be ‘drawn beads’, of apparently Dutch origin. |
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Mossi or Vaseline
Milky, translucent glass, prismatic beads in shades of light blue, lilac, yellow green. Popular with the Mossi of Burkina Faso and are Czech in origin. |
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Fancy Beads
These highly decorated glass beads are the catagory with the most variation in design and shape, mainly originating in Murano,Venice |
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Bronze Tubular
Bronze beads from Baule of Ivory Coast and the Asante of Ghana, are made using the lost wax casting method. |
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Flanders
These drawn glass beads in shades of blue are popular all over Africa, probably of Duch origin. |
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Atata
Faceted, press moulded glass beads usually in shades of milky blue. Known as Atata in West Africa. Tend to be of Czech origin. |
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Bauxite
Stone tubular or disc shaped beads. The brick red or dark brown colour of the beads is due to the iron content of the stone. |
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Antique Spindle Whorls
Terracotta beads were used as weights in the spining of cotton thread, often with engraved surface patterns. |
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Bicone Beads
These highly prized beads were said to fetch their weight in gold (literally) in Ghana where they were reserved for chiefs and kings. They originated in Murano, Venice |
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Amber
Genuine Amber beads are rare in Africa, what passes for Amber is a synthetic resin manu-factured in Germany in the 19th century. Despite this they still fetch high prices. |
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Agate
Found throughout Africa in many different colours and transparencies.
The beads are either polished or rough cut and strung into necklaces. |
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Carnelian
Carnelian is the core of Agate and has been treasured all over Africa since ancient times. They come in many shapes, sizes and finishes. |
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Gashi
These cylindrical beads from Ghana are pressed in molds then fired. Often with a granular opaque surface or polished to aquire a deep glowing colour |
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Jasper
Known as ‘lantana’ in Africa, these attractive red beads are hand made by the Yoruba people of Nigeria. |
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Shells
Pierced discs of various sizes are strung together to form necklaces and other items of personal adornment. Known as Ashisha in West Africa. |
