White Glass Beads

We are thrilled to offer  this beautiful strand of white Ashanti glass saucer beads. The process of making these beads is unique to Africa and has been used for over 1000 years. Pulverized glass of various colors is poured into a clay mold, using a cassava stem for the bead's hole. The mold is placed in a furnace and heated until the glass particles congeal without actually melting and the stem burns out. The Ghanaians have been making beads in this manner since the 1600s. Each bead measures approximately 2.5-3 x 10-11mm in size, with strands measuring approximately 26". Shape of beads may vary slightly from photo.