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ETHNOGRAPHICA

GALLERY I

"History of "Trade Beads"                         

The term "Trade Beads" typically applies to beads made predominately in Venice and Bohemia and other European countries from the late 1400s through to the early 1900s and traded in Africa and the Americas. Many of these beads have been attributed to being made in Germany, France and the Netherlands as well.

The heyday of this "trade" period was from the mid 1800s through the early 1900s when millions of these beads were produced and traded in Africa. The Venetians dominated this market and produced the majority of the beads sold during this time. The J.F. Sick and Co, based in Germany and Holland was one of the largest bead brokers/importers during this period. Moses Lewin Levin was a bead importer/exporter who operated out of London from 1830 to 1913. You can see 4 of the Levin trade bead sample cards from 1865 in The History of Beads (Dubin)

The popularity of these beads was revived in the late 1960s when they began to be exported from Africa into the United States and Europe. The term "Trade Beads" became very popular during this time period and is still used for the same bead reference today. The millefiori beads were also called "Love Beads" and used in necklaces with peace symbols during the Hippie days.

As the popularity and availability of these old beads grew they started getting "named". We started hearing terms like "Russian Blues", "Dutch Donuts", "King Beads". Although some of these folklore names are totally meaningless...ie...."Lewis and Clarke" beads, they do describe a specific type of bead.

And today these beads are more popular and collectable than ever. Thousands of these beads are in private collections around the world. The African Traders are having to go deeper and deeper into Africa to find more of these beads and many styles which were readily available just 5 years ago are no longer seen today.

To learn more about "trade beads" please read, The History of Beads (Dubin), Collectable Beads(Liu), Ornaments From the Past: Bead Studies After Beck (Bead Study Trust), The Bead Is Constant (Wilson), Arizona Highways (July1971), Africa Adorned (Fisher) and the John and Ruth Picard series of books; Volume III - Fancy Beads from the West African Trade, Volume IV - White Hearts, Feather and Eye Beads from the West African Trade, VolumeV - Russian Blues, Faceted and Fancy Beads from the West African Trade, Volume VI - Millefiori Beads from the West African Trade and Volume VII - Chevron and Nueva Cadiz Beads.

There are exceptional museum collections of trade beads at the Museum of Mankind in London, the Pitt River Museum in Oxford, the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Belgium, the Murano Museum of Glass in Italy, the Tropical Royal Institute of Amsterdam, the Bead Museum in Arizona, US and the Picard Trade Bead Museum in California, US to name a few.

One of the most intriguing aspects to these beads is how they have survived a hundred or more years of wear and the travel through at least three continents. Another mystery is who wore them before us who will have them next.......after us.

Recommended Reading: HISTORY OF BEADS (Dubin)

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IMAGE 1

top - large ivory Dinka ornamental piece-very old yellow ochre colour
Price -
ZAR1650 -
left to right -
old conus shell from West-Africa - Price -
ZAR100 SOLD
2 pairs of naga shell ornaments - Price -
ZAR350 per set of 2
3 ivory toposa amulets from Sudan - Price -
ZA R400 each SOLD
large old Ibo ivory bracelet from Nigeria - Price -
ZAR3780

TOTAL - ZAR7430.00
items  slightly larger as shown ON IMAGE

 

IMAGE 2

Top left - old Fulani silver ring - Price -ZAR450
Centre left - 2 Taureg large rings with carnelian - Price - ZAR450each
bottom
- 2 Ashanti lost waxed brass castings -
Price -ZAR350 each
right
- very rare ivory Ibo teenager inisiation necklace -
Price - ZAR600
TOTAL - ZAR2 650.00

 

IMAGE 3

 

Top - dubbel strand copal Mali tribal amber - Price - ZAR7500
Bottom
- 3 strands of old brass beads from Nigeria -
Price - ZAR690 each
TOTAL - ZAR9500
SOLD

 

IMAGE 4

 

Top left - rare Berber antique shell necklace (lenght-94cm) - Price - ZAR4000
bottom left
- Old Venetian glassbeads (lenght-80cm) - Price -
ZAR3860 SOLD
Right
- rare "red/stripe" gooseberries (lenght 1.12m) -
Price - ZAR3900 SOLD
TOTAL - ZAR11 760.00

 

IMAGE 5

 

 

Left - old Venetian Dogon glass beads (3 strands) - Price - ZAR 700 each
Right top
- old salt Hebron glass beads - Price -
ZAR1700
Bottom right
- 2 strands of ancient glass beads (islamic) - Price -
ZAR900 each
TOTAL - ZAR5600.00 SOLD

 

IMAGE 6

 

 

2 strands of  beautiful ancient carnelians (lenght 80cm) - Price -ZA R1890 each
TOTAL - ZAR3780.00 SOLD

 

IMAGE 7

 

 

Old Nigerian regalia beaded necklace -
Price - ZAR1500.00

 

IMAGE 8

 

 

Vintage glass seed bead neck piece from Nigeria -
Price -ZAR3 000.00

 

IMAGE 9

 

Rare strand of Ghanaian Powder glass beads of primarily adjagba types - with trailed decoration - circumference of largest bead - 12cm , lenght - 74cm
Reference:  "Collectible Beads"-Robert K. Liu (1995) p.22
Price - ZAR12 500.00
IMAGE 10

 

Ancient necklace from Djenne-Mali - lenght - 88cm
Price -ZAR25 000.00

 

IMAGE 11
Necklace from Niger - Amazonite - lenght - 62cm
Amazonite was highly prized in Morocco, Mauritania and Niger.  Necklaces like the one shown here, strung with with beads of Niger amazonite, date from ancient times.
Reference: "The Splendour of Ethnic Jewelry" - France Borel/Bigelow Taylor (1994) - p.49
Price - ZAR32 000.00


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