FREE U.S. Shipping on orders of $35
FREE U.S. Shipping on orders of $35
Get a gift of vintage beads with every purchase. Just our way to say THANK YOU!
Get a gift of vintage beads with purchase!
Rare and gorgeous small yellow glass Indo Pacific - Trade Wind - Nila Beads.
These glass beads are from the early Islamic era, and were found in the Timbuktu, Mali. Estimated to be at least several hundred years old, likely originally manufactured elsewhere and used for trade and currency.
These gorgeous beads are great for design of all sorts of necklaces, earrings and bracelets. They wear beautifully with their natural absorption of the body's oils. Really a favorite bead in the collection for so many reasons. Great as spacers or seed beads.
Bead sizes are 3-5mm. Approximate 22” of beads per strand. Bead sizes are pretty consistent in all strands.
Strands sold individually. Price is per strand.
More about Nila beads: Nila beads are the small monochrome Islamic glass beads than can be found in colors ranging from blue, green, red, black, white to yellow that are widespread in West Africa. They are also referred to as Indo-Pacific or Trade Winds beads, in reference to the ocean streams and winds that, for centuries, were used by the Arab merchant ships bringing them from India to Africa. They often have oxidization patina from burial and age. Large quantities have been found along the river banks of the Niger river in Mali and buried in large quantities in clay pots, used as a form of currency. They are also found in the ground in parts of West Africa and Southeast Asia. The name "Nila" comes from the Sanskrit term for indigo.
Some useful reference articles:
https://theconversation.com/how-we-found-the-earliest-glass-production-south-of-the-sahara-and-what-it-means-142059
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songhai_Empire
African Item 0690f
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At the Rita Okrent Collection, we want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. Items purchased from the Rita Okrent Collection in sale-able condition can be returned for a full refund - please contact us within 30 days of receipt or 45 days of purchase to notify us with the reason for your return (via email at ritaokrent@gmail.com). Customer is responsible for return shipping and insurance to the Rita Okrent Collection. Please ship your purchase back to us as soon as possible in order to expedite your refund. Your refund will only be processed immediately upon receipt of your purchase.
Please ship your purchases back to:
Rita Okrent Collection
1585 Hillsmont Drive
El Cajon, California 92020
USA
