Deep Green Ancient Serpentine Stone Beads from Mauritania - Rita Okrent Collection (S582)

Short strand of 13 mixed green serpentine stone beads from Mauritania.

Why We Love It:
Lots of practical beads here.

The mix of shapes on this strand tells its own story.

Barrel beads, a disc bead, and an oversized tube sit side by side, each one worn down differently over a thousand years of handling.

That variation is part of what makes ancient strands like this one so interesting to look at and to hold.

Dimensions: 13 beads total. Longest tube measures 19.5mm, disc bead measures 14.6mm diameter. 30 grams total, including string.

Condition: Most beads show wear consistent with age, estimated at over 1000 years old.

Provenance: Mauritania. Note: These beads aren’t necessarily madefrom Mauritanian stone — they’re found there because Mauritania sat along the trans-Saharan trade network. Researchers studying green stone beads across the Sahara have traced trade routes through caravan towns like Tegdaoust and Koumbi Saleh in southern Mauritania, which connected to Arab-Berber merchant networks during the rise of West African kingdoms like Ghana. 

Stone Item 582