Malian Strand of Beads

A narrow oval of smoky blue-green grains with a few pale beads at the bottom.

This strand of beads is from Mali, West Africa. It is excavated glass. Excavated glass beads often show weathering, with a dull or pearly crust where the glass has reacted with the soil. Tiny round and short tube beads in slate, sea-green and grey, worn to a dull, slightly pitted finish. A cluster of white beads sits near the lowest curve. The strand is slim and even, with open ends at the top.

Sedate colours, a lot of tiny effort.