Glass beads have been made for centuries throughout Africa. Using a technique that has been handed down from generation to generation, our makers begin by compressing glass into a dry grain, and heating the grain so that the pieces form together. The recycled glass is rushed into a porcelain cast. The stem of a cassava leaf is used to make the hole. The beads are baked in a furnace causing the glass to melt together and cassava stem to burn, leaving only the grainy textured "sand glass" bead behind.
Our makers are members of Ghana's Krobo Tribe in Western Africa. Beads have played an important role in the cultural life of many communities throughout the Continent of Africa, and remain to this day a symbol of wealth and a form of currency.
PRODUCT INFORMATION
DIMENSIONS: 1.5" diameter (beads) x 15"L (strand of beads)
COLOR: Opaque / Light Green
MADE OF: Glass, sand / silica
MADE IN: Ghana
Price is for one strand of Large beads.
To create a single sculpture, add a Single Display Stand
To create a double sculpture, add a Small Strand of Beads and a Double Display Stand