Handmade Silver Saucer Recycled Metal Bicone Hollow Tribal Beads Mali, Africa

Description

This is a set of tribally handmade recycled metal bicone saucer shaped beads which were made in Mali, West Africa and are also called bench beads by some silversmiths. These are hollow domed light weight metal beads which are made by melting recycled metals down such as old silver coins, broken tribal jewelry and brass bracelets to make sheet metal which is then cut into small square pieces.The square pieces are pounded out and then formed into half domed shapes. Each half dome shape is one side of a metal bicone bead - the half domes are then solder together in the middle to create one bead which is then sanded and polished. The process of making these beads is extremely time consuming as it is all hand work with the most basic tools and most of the crafting of these beads take place on the ground and on antique stools passed down through the metalsmiths family. As is typical with the old village ways in most cultures the younger generations are not wanting to learn the bead making craft and are leaving the villages in search of more contemporary lifestyles in effect not leaving many interested in learning the old way of making these beads. This has greatly affected the availability to source this amazing rustic handmade tribal silver beads.
Largest metal bead of the set measures 19.60mm long by 26.88mm wide.This handmade Mali silver metal bead set would look great in jewelry applications.
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