Bead Dictionary Letter A

 Introduction

In the late 1990s, Penny Diamanti, Joyce Diamanti and Robert K. Liu started working on a Bead Dictionary. Around 2009, after much work by the Diamantis, the Bead Dictionary was posted on the Beadazzled website. Through the years, additions were made by Beadazzled. In the summer of 2018, when the Washington DC Beadazzled store and its website closed, the Bead Dictionary was offered to Ornament. This is a unique resource, especially rich for information on beads of ethnographic and ancient origins. As Ornament has only a staff of three, we are slowly reposting it on our website, updating or expanding some of the entries and are adding search features, links and references as time permits. The Bead Dictionary covers primarily beads and other perforated ornaments, but also tools and materials used by those who make jewelry utilizing beads. Photographs from the Ornament archives are being added, as well as new images taken expressly for the Bead Dictionary and others are being brought up to current standards, as many of these images are almost 30 years old. Original photography was by Robert K. Liu, while Cas Webber did additional photos for Beadazzled, noted in the captions as RKL or CW, after first captions.

This Dictionary of Beads is a labor of love and a work in progress. We welcome your comments and suggestions through the Contact link. To navigate, select from the visual index above to jump to the letter you want in the Dictionary, but give the page a little time to load first. To get back to the top and select another letter use the arrow button. We are continuously adding to the Dictionary, so check back often. 

To search for keywords in Dictionary headings, use your browser's search function; for example in Internet Explorer use Control+F and in Apple Command+F, then type in your keyword. We hope you enjoy this (not-so-tiny) treasure, and learn more about the vast world of Beads.

AB FINISH

ABALONE SHELL

ABO

Adjagba Beads

Also called azagba, zagba, or adjaba, these large powder glass beads are made by the Krobo people of Ghana. Usually formed in clay molds, the beads measure up to 5 cm long and range from nearly cylindrical to barrel shaped, and sometimes biconical. Adjagba typically have a yellow or ochre matrix with a grainy texture, which is decorated with longitudinal stripes, often twisted into spirals, in black, blue, green, brown, or red. Occasionally the beads are further embellished with spots, circles, or equatorial bands. The designs are made by funneling contrasting colors of powdered glass into the mold or inserting pre-formed glass elements.  

Adjagba beads—especially older ones—are treasured by the Krobo and worn on important occasions, such as the Dipo ceremony. Then girls reaching marriageable age are adorned with the family’s finest beads to celebrate their puberty. 

When Krobo beadmakers created adjagba they may have been inspired by the colorful striped glass beads from Venice that flooded the African market in the 19th century. But could it be the other way around? The entrepreneurial Venetians were masters at designing beads to appeal to the traditional tastes of their customers.

See Also: Akoso Beads Bodom Beads Krobo Beads Powder Glass Beads

Afghan Ancient Hardstone Beads

In the 20th century, beautiful ancient stone beads from Afghanistan became available to collectors. These included materials that were regarded as precious in antiquity—lapis lazuli and hardstones, such as agates and rock crystals—as well as stones or minerals that were attractive for their patterns or grains, which were enhanced by ancient lapidaries.  

This continually war-torn country probably did not produce all these beads; neighboring Pakistan and India, who were also beadmakers in ancient times, likely produced some of them. Afghanistan was, however, the source of the tabular and lenticular beads, which showcase the beauty of the stones, many of which are translucent. The coveted long bicone beads, as well as leech beads, also came from Afghanistan. In addition, Afghanistan was a source of etched carnelians of various types and even some shell beads.  

The beads shown in these images range in age from the Neolithic Period to Islamic times and measure from 0.8 to 6.7 cm long. Many of the tabular and lenticular beads date to the third millennium BC. Today beautiful replicas divert collectors from the pursuit of these ancient beads by providing the market with beads having the attractive shapes of these ancient Afghan tabular and leech beads.

See Also: Agate Carnelian Etched Agate Beads Etched Carnelian Beads Hardstone Beads Lapis Lazuli Leech Beads Lenticular Shell Beads Tabular Beads

Afghan Beads

In ancient times, as it is today, Afghanistan was the source of the world’s most beautiful lapis lazuli. But other stones including carnelian, crystal, serpentine, jaspers and various quartz hardstones were also cut and polished in Afghanistan.  

Metalworking, too, has a long history in Afghanistan and several different nomadic groups evolved distinctive beads and pendants. Among these the most famous are the Turkoman or Turkmen who produced a stunning array of jewelry for humans and animals featuring silver, often with fire-gilding, set mostly with carnelian stones.  

Ongoing warfare has severely impacted everyone in Afghanistan, harming among other things, all parts of the bead industry from mining to beadmaking. Today, many traditional Afghan beads that reach western markets are produced by refugees in Pakistan. Among the most popular are replicas of ancient stone beads from the region in semi-matte carnelian, lapis, turquoise, and a green serpentine we know as olive jade.

See Also: Agate Carnelian Etched Agate Beads Etched Carnelian Beads Hardstone Beads Lapis Lazuli Leech Beads Lenticular Shell Beads Tabular Beads

African Amber

Along with chevrons and Venetian millefiori beads, African amber is among the most popular of beads from the African trade. It is also among the most misunderstood. The large oblate, round, cylindrical and diamond-shaped beads command high prices in African markets because they are still highly valued locally, as they have been for at least 100 years. When Americans discover that the beads are not actually amber they often feel they have been cheated. This, however, is not the case.  

The situation is similar to the phenomenon of “cultural jades” in south and Central America. There, jade is the most highly revered and valued stone, however, the definition of jade is not as narrow as our own gemological one. Especially among the Maya, any hard greenish stone was accepted as jade regardless of whether it was technically nephrite or jadite—the only two stones we accept as true jade.  

Similarly, the synthetic amber imported into Africa primarily during the 19th century was accepted by Africans from Mali and Mauritania to Morocco and the Sudan. Carved into different shapes for each region, the beads have strong social significance and aesthetic appeal. Handed down for generations, some specimens have even been lovingly repaired with brass, copper, or silver wire, attesting to their worth and importance to their owners. Women, especially among the Dogon people of Mali, consider their amber beads to be an investment. 

East African amber beads found in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt are mostly cylindrical, sometimes with rounded ends. In Mali and among the Berbers of Morocco, oblate and almost round shapes are most popular for necklaces. The wealthy Fulani of Mali wear amber beads of all shapes as hair ornaments. From Mauritania come the distinctive diamond-shaped beads, sometimes drilled in two or even three directions and/or decorated with carved designs. 

Despite the fact that the material is a synthetic (Bakelite or similar), and not a million-year-old tree resin, older African amber maintains its value and appeal. The best specimens are a dark honey color, quite heavy and opaque, often with a few fine black crack lines that enhance rather than diminish their desirability for collectors.  Cheap modern amber imitations are lighter in weight, lighter and brighter in color, and more translucent exhibiting swirling patterns in the plastic. These beads were adopted by Africans for whom the valuable original African amber beads were financially out of reach, and they were sold to tourists who didn’t know the difference. Today Indonesia, and possibly China, produce much better quality imitations of the original African amber. Generally not designed to deceive anyone, these attractive beads come in oblate, round, and cylindrical shapes and are marketed as “resin”. They are much less costly than the original African amber beads, but because they are new and plentiful they are also less valuable to collectors.

See Also: Amber Burmese Amber Amber Amber Imitations

African Beads

This vast category of beads includes beads made in Africa of organic materials (coconut shell, clam and ostrich eggshell, snake and fish vertabrae, etc.) metal (Akan brass and gold, Ethiopian and Tuareg silver, copper, and brass) glass (powder glass, Kiffa, recycled glass) stone (amazonite, granite, bauxite, etc.) and more. In addition, beads traded primarily from Europe and adopted by Africans are now part of the bead wealth exported from Africa through a network of bead traders. European contributions to the African bead trade include Venetian lampworked and millefiori trade beads, Bohemian pressed glass beads, German stone beads, French Prosser beads, seed beads, and more.
 
See Also: Chevron Beads Kiffa Beads Annular Beads Trade Beads African Amber African Recycled Glass Beads African Shell Beads Venetian Lampworked Beads Venetian Mosaic Beads Venetian Trade Beads Pressed Glass Beads Ashanti Gold