Ethiopian Strand of Beads

Honey, butterscotch, burnt orange. A strand the color of a long afternoon.

This strand of amber beads comes from Ethiopia in East Africa and dates to the 19th century or earlier. Amber reached Ethiopia by long trade routes, and women wore large beads like these as jewelry and a visible sign of status, sometimes as protection. They are irregular and rounded, no two alike, growing larger toward one big oval at the center. Color runs from pale yellow to deep orange, with dark flecks and pitted surfaces here and there. A plain cord closes the back.

Fossil tree resin, and it wears the years lightly.