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Rare and Collectible "African" Beads

A Brief Introduction to African Beads
History and Manufacture

Note: Not all described and pictured beads are available.

Highly decorative glass "African" beads were used in Africa as money for every day items, but they were also traded for expensive commodities including land and slaves. Actually manufactured in Venice, they were also tad-ed in other places, including the western hemisphere.

chevron

Chevron beads were originally manufactured by a secret process that was jealously guarded by the Venetians. Strict laws with severe penal-ties were enforced against anyone who revealed the process. Today, chevron beads are still made in Venice, but the secret is out and they are now also produced by Americans and East Indians. "Feather" beads are highly favored for their delicate appearance. They were made in Venice and were very popular with African tribal cultures during colonial times, when they were used for currency. When African countries became independent of colonial governments, they went to a cash economy and these beads were dumped on the market. They were also traded by native Americans in North and South America in the mid-1800s.
feather Feather beads now come to the US through African traders from Gambia and Mali, but they are becoming rare because many African country's have trade embargos on them. (Note: these beads are not presently available) [another example]

The "Thousand Eye" or "Evil Eye" beads shown here (diameter = 10mm) and have been a staple trade item since the middle of the 1800's. The "eye" bead is a world-wide design and is worn to ward off evil. Psychologists theorize that the "function" of these beads derives from the com-mon human characteristic of being unable to lie or do harm to others while looking them in the eye. These (Venetian) beads are common and are on the lower ring of collectibles.

eyes

"Milifiore" beads ("thousand flowers".....pronounced in English as 'mili-fee-ori') are of Venetian origin and were extensively traded into west Africa. Demand was high for them in the mid-1800s. They are still made, but modern beads are more refined and of less interest to collectors.



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Copal beads are made of a resin-like material with some transparent areas. These beads are hard and have a beautiful luster. The il lust-rated beads range from 14-40 mm in diameter.

Komal

French Ambassador beads were made Venice for the French. The beads were offer-ed to village headmen as a present from the colonial government. The French Ambassador bead necklace pictured here has been strung with additional eye beads.

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Kiffa Beads: A product of Mali, West Africa, the beads are made of powdered, fused glass. Made and traded in the last century, copies are created today but do not have the quality or the delineation of the originals. Kiffa beads are considered to be the finest example of African bead making.

 

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Gambian spindle beads were used to spin native wool and cotton. A 40" strand is available

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More about Fused Glass Beads

Fused glass beads were were popular in certain earlier cultures for trading. They were both colorful and durable, as is demonstrated by their good condition after four centuries. Their value was determined by the number of layers of glass they contained. You can count 5 layers in the chevron bead pictured below (each color is a different layer). The processes for manufacturing the glass beads are interesting. Following is a brief explanation of how chevron and milifiore beads are made.

Chevron beads have been made from the 1500's to present day in Venice. Glass rods are bundled together to make a design. The bundle is then heated until the rods fuse. While still soft, these bundles can be drawn or stretched out, making the rod diameter smaller to meet the size required for the design. After cooling, the single rod is cut to length and ground down to make the combinations of colors show up at the ends of the beads in the familiar star patterns.

Milifiore beads, including those that were used in African Trade, are produced by fusing thin glass rods together to form intricate designs. After fusion, the rods are broken away to leave small flower-like patterns. A core of glass is then formed and, when very soft, it is rolled over the small flower pieces. Then, the entire bead is again heated to absorb the flowers into the finished bead.

mill

As soon as fused glass bead making techniques were discovered, Venice enacted harsh laws to protect the secret process. Other trading countries were eager to learn how to make them and there were 16th century equivalents of commercial spy organizations to enhance competition.

Our Catalog of African Beads

CREDIT CARD ORDERS ACCEPTED
Prices updated on 16 December 2001


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For orders and queries
PINEY HOLLOW
427 North 4th Avenue
Tucson, Arizona 85705 USA
520 623-4450
pineyho@aol.com
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Cat. # Bead name/ origin Bead Description Size Strand Length Price (US)
A-1 Copal, Ethiopia small ovals and cylinders 15x21 mm 24 in. 320.00
A-2 Copal, Ethiopia medium ovals 21x24 mm 23 in. 320.00
A-3 Copal, Ethiopia large rounded graduated 24 in. 600.00
A-4 Gambian spindle beads Large rounds 24x22 mm 40 in. 7.00ea, 150/strand
A-5 Mixed trades, West Africa millifiori circa 1850 sizes vary 28 in. 100.00
A-6 Mixed trades, West Africa millifiori circa 1850 sizes vary 33 in. 100.00
A-7 Trades, West Africa millifiori, circa 1850 sizes vary some mix 29 in. 125.00
A-8 Evil Eye beads red, 19th century 11 mm 32 in. 150.00
A-9 French Ambassadors fine examples, 19th cent. strand beads vary 28 in. 2,500.00
A-10 Kiffa beads, Mali powdered glass,20th century standard sizes 30 in. 2,800.00
A-11 Vaseline beads,West Africa sea foam green, black light 8 mm 24 in. 100.00
A-12 African Brass round 8 mm 22 in. 120.00
A-13 African Komal brass bicone 8 mm 24 in. 120.00
A-14 White Hearts dark red, 19th cent. 5 mm 16 in. 30.00
A-15 White Hearts dark red, 19th century 5 mm 22 in. 45.00
A-16 White hearts dark red early 19th cent. 5 mm 20 in. 21.00 each
A-17 Vaseline beads, W. Africa Transparent Greens, faceted 11 mm 30 in. 40.00
A-18 Padres, West Africa Blue Southwest style 8 mm 24 in. 21.00 each
A-19 Padres,West Africa Blue, older, worn 8 mm 21 in. 24.00