Clamshell Heishi Beads Thin White Disks African

Description

Title
Clamshell Heishi Beads Thin White Disks African
Other Names
Gear Beads
Type of Object
Cut polished clamshell beads.
People
Lega
Made In
Africa
Traded In
Africa
Approximate Age
20th century
Overall Condition
Good to fair. Some of these beads have traveled at least three continents, and have graced numerous owners. Small chips, corrosion, and pitting are a normal part of their patina attesting to their age and extensive use.
Damage/Repair
Chips on some bead edges
Bead Size
8-9 mm diameter. See picture with penny for size comparison.
Strand Length
17 inches (includes string/raffia)
This strand is not intended to be a ready-to-wear necklace. Although the strand can be worn "as is," the raffia holding it together is not durable and may break with use. For this reason, we recommend that you restring the beads before wearing them.
Additional information:
For more information, please see our comprehensive guide to African-made beads,
African Beads: Jewels of a Continent
, hardcover, 216 pages, 163 color photographs, available from Africa Direct.
The name “heishi”
comes to us from the Santo Domingo and San Felipe Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, and can be translated as “shell bead.” The earliest recorded beads were made using the heishi technique. Heishi are produced by perforating shell fragments, threading them on wire, and then grinding them into disk shapes against a stone. Whereas “heishi” originally referred only to shell beads made with this technique, the term is now applied to disk-shaped beads made from almost any natural material.
CLM0121
**136046**
All content, including pictures, Copyright Africa Direct Inc., 2021
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Handling Time
: We ship daily except Sundays and holidays. Most orders go out the same day, and all go out within 48 hours.
Returns
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Combining Shipping
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U.S. Shipping
: Our staff take great care in packing our artwork, much of which is antique, irregularly-shaped, and fragile. The cost of labor and the special packing materials used is reflected in our shipping price. Our U.S. shipping charges also include insurance; we self-insure on smaller orders. For these reasons, our shipping and handling charges may be more than the price of postage. .
International Shipping
: We ship dozens of international orders each week, to customers on every continent except Antarctica! The shipping charges included in our listings are for U.S. orders. Contact us for shipping charges to your country. We offer uninsured USPS First Class airmail, insured Priority airmail, and insured Express airmail to most parts of the world, depending on the weight, volume, and value of an item. We also ship via FedEx or DHL on request.
Import duties, taxes, and charges are NOT INCLUDED in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding / buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them for additional shipping charges. And please do not ask us to mark merchandise values below the actual value or mark items as "gifts"--U.S. and International government regulations prohibit such behavior.
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