African Beads Resources by Bead 'n Shop


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African beads are handmade by the traditional Zulu and Ndebele tribes women of South Africa.
It has the taste and touch of its tradition and culture.

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Beads! from Africa

The first African beads known are disk-shaped ostrich eggshell beads which are expected to date around 10,000 B.C. Ostrich eggshell beads are used even today by variety of groups in Africa including Kung San of Kalahari Desert in South Africa, Dinka in Sudan and Turkana in Kenya for making personal ornaments.

African beads are undersized, perforated and often round. They are made of many materials but glass beads in particular are most common elements of African ornamentation. One of its own kind, the beads from Africa are distinctive and unique. Whatever their beginning, whatever their significance, from the very easy to the very difficult, from prehistoric to recent, African beads are exquisite works of art.

  1. African Trade Beads - Offering antiques, artifacts, curios and jewelry for collectors, designers, lecturers and students of african art and history.











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