African glass beads

The african beads of molten glass are created in Ghana from glass bottles recovery. Some beads are made up of several glasses of different colors and look like italian beads, the famous Murano "millefiori" that were used as bargaining currency for european slavers trading them against the slaves on the Golden Coast.

Beads made of bones, either white or fire blackened, are also available at the shop, as well as pearls of bronze (or brass) melted in Ghana with the technique of lost wax.

Our African beads are sold in bundles for the creators of jewelry or already mounted in necklaces, bracelets... Feel free to contact us for explanations on prices and availability.

Creation of African glass beads inGhana

The creation of African recycled glass bead is a Ghanean tradition, very much alive in this country proud of its roots. The video below shows the main steps in the work of glassbeads-makers. This is a long and repetitive process, which requires dexterity and precision for craftsmen, and a great courage in the face of the furnaces of around 1000°C added to an already strong local heat. Apart from the creation of molds, the work begins with the recovery of old glass bottles of various colors, broken into pieces or reduced to powder and then melted in clay molds. The video shows two methods used by the craftsmen:

- Small wooden sticks are placed in each hole and burn to give up the hole of each glass bead

- Another method is to pierce the glass when still semi-liquid with a steel pike and turn the bead in its mold to give it its final rounded shape.

Once cooled, the beads are then washed and oiled, to reveal all their splendor, and strung into necklaces of pearls to be sold wholesale on markets or exported.