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For a limited time only,
we will include free
shipping and handling, plus a free canister of Connoisseurs
Jewelry Wipes with your order of this gorgeous necklace.
Treat yourself today, aren't you worth it?
• Organic Copal
Faceted Cube Focal Bead from Yemen, Circa mid-late 1800s
(Origin: Yemen; Collected: Africa)
• Handmade Dark Green Powdered Glass Beads from the Krobo
People of Ghana, Circa mid-1900s (Origin: Ghana, Africa;
Collected: Ghana, Africa)
• Handcrafted Ebony Wooden Rondelle Beads with Silver Inlay,
Circa early 21st Century (Origin: Africa; Collected: Africa)
• Handcrafted Sterling Silver Ornamental Melon Beads and
Toggle Clasp from Bali
• Sterling Silver Findings
• Finished with Silver French Bullion
• Length: 16.5”
N0908-109: $275.00
(free S&H)
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to return to the Artifacts Collection Page.
COPAL CUBE BEAD: The oldest known substitute for amber is
copal, a resin which is very similar in appearance. Copal can
occur in a semi-fossilized form or fresh gum form from
regional trees, ranging from 1,000 to 100 years old. In Yemen,
large antique copal cubes were used as a form of currency.
KROBO GLASS BEADS: These gorgeous colored powdered glass beads
are handcrafted by the Krobo People of Ghana, Africa. The
process begins with glass, usually scrap bottles which are
pounded or crushed into a fine powder. The glass is then
poured into clay molds, which have cells poked into them for
the beads. At the bottom of each cell is a small depression
into which the leaf stem of a cassava plant is placed. The
powder is poured into the molds in various ways, depending
upon the desired design. Once a couple of dozen molds are
filled, they go into crude ovens and a fire is lit in it for
about an hour. The glass coalesces and the cassava stems burn
out, leaving a perforation. When finished, the beads are
shaken from the molds, cleaned and sometimes polished.
Ghananians have been making these beads at least since the
1600s and possibly long before since technique dates back some
1,000 years ago. The most important representatives in our day
are in West Africa, especially in Ghana. Collectors sometimes
call these “pot beads”, “sand cast beads” or “priest’s beads”;
however, none of these names are appropriate since they are
not cast or made in pots and have nothing to do with sand or
priests.
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