A free gift of Rita's beads with your order!
A free gift of Rita's beads with your order!
Shop our Sale Section for special discounts throughout the store!
Shop our Sale Section for special discounts throughout the store!
Discounted Shipping on ALL Orders
Discounted Shipping on ALL Orders
Unique Pendants on SALE NOW
Unique Pendants on SALE NOW
Strand of excavated teal, dark blue, white and yellow medium ancient glass nila beads from Djenne or Timbuktu, Mali.
Circa approximately 1200-1600 C. E.
Measurements: 25 inches of beads. Beads vary range from approximately 4-14mm.
Condition: Note wear and loss of color on some beads.
More info:
Nila / dardig beads are the Islamic-era 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 sometimes 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.
The beads' white patina from age and burialometimes reveal more color when treated very gently with a tiny bit of olive oil (rub a little on your hands and then handle the beads). These beads can also be left as is.
As research and technology evolves, there is a greater ability to verify glass bead making by local manufacture in West Africa.
Some useful reference articles:
https://theconversation.com/how-we-found-the-earliest-glass-production-south-of-the-sahara-and-what-it-means-142059
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317775780_Ancient_History_of_Technology_in_West_Africa_The_Indigenous_GlassGlass_Bead_Industry_and_the_Society_in_Early_Ile-Ife_Southwest_Nigeria
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao
African Item 1921
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Rita Okrent Collection
1585 Hillsmont Drive
El Cajon, California 92020
USA
