Malian Strand of Beads

A very thin strand of cream and grey grains, light as a hair ribbon.

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 off-white, grey and a few pale blue-grey, strung close in a long narrow loop. The beads are small and almost uniform, with a dull, chalky surface. Fine thread shows at the top.

Delicate enough to need a steady wrist.