African Powder Glass Trade Beads
Powder Glass trade beads have been manufactured in Africa for centuries. The earliest such beads, discovered during archaeological excavations at Mapungubwe in South Africa, dated to between 970-1000 AD.
The beads are made from finely ground glass, the main source being broken and unusable bottles and a great variety of other scrap glass.
Recycled glass is collected, cleaned, and sorted by color. It is then crushed into small pieces using a mortar and pestle.
The crushed glass is placed into the holes of hand crafted clay molds.
The glass-filled molds go into a kiln and are heated just until the glass begins to fuse.
The molds are removed and, while the glass is still glowing orange, holes are bored into the heated glass. Molds are then returned to the kiln for final heating.
Beads may be decorated by applying a colored glass slurry (crushed glass mixed with a binder) that is applied with a stick or pointed tool and re-fired.
When finished and cooled, the bore rods are removed. The glass beads are polished by hand against a concave stone using sand and water.
Today, manufacturing of the Powder Glass beads is concentrated in West Africa, particularly in the Ghana area by Ashanti and Krobo craftsmen and women.
Beads still play important roles in Krobo society, be it in rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage, or death.
I hope you’ll enjoy having and wearing your own piece of jewelry made of African Powder Glass Trade Beads.
I certainly enjoyed making it for you.
