Rare Carved Phenolic Resin Beads from North Africa, VB_0734S
On offer is a choice of one of several available intricately carved phenolic resin beads from North Africa. These beads are carved from old large barrel-shaped phenolic resin beads which date to early to mid 1900s. There is a well documented tradition of carving these old beads to create a variety of intricate patterns. Such carved beads were used for weddings and ceremonies in Mauritania, where the custom appears to be still alive. The old carved beads are becoming exceeding rare. However it is not clear when the carving was done for the particular beads in this listing. The color of the old carved beads would be expected to be more subdued than the color of the beads in this listing. The brighter, more intense color probably indicates that the carving was done later, at the end of the 20th century, or even more recently.
The carving is quite artistic, with each bead having a distinct traditional pattern, and color of the beads varies from grayish lemony yellow to egg-yoke yellow, and to reddish brown and mahogany red. The shapes of the beads also vary - there are round, diamond-shaped, hear-shaped, and more - see the photos for detail. These are very hard to come by, and we are fortunate to have gotten hold of a few, which we are offering now for your consideration.
These beads are graduated from about 26mm to 36mm in diameter and are about 8mm thick. The weight of each bead is about 50g.
This listing is for ONE bead. You can choose a specific bead at checkout
Weights and sizes are approximate.
IMPORTANT NOTE. In the world of beads, and especially ancient and antique beads, errors in identification are common. We do our best to research and classify our beads accurately, however mistakes are certainly possible. If you are a bead expert and notice any errors in description, we invite you to please contact us and let us know. We are always grateful for any new information. We also accept returns no questions asked. See our Return Policy for detail.
COLORS: Our photos are taken in different lighting in an attempt to show how beads look in different lighting conditions. We make every effort to show colors as accurately as possible. The white background photos are taken in daylight conditions. The black background photos are taken in the strong lab light, and would be representative of what they would look like in the evening electric light. Some of the photos are backlit to emphasize their translucency. Note that monitor settings strongly affect the way the colors look. What you see on your monitor may differ from what you see with a naked eye depending on your monitor settings.
WE COMBINE SHIPPING and will refund any overage. Contact us when placing the order and we will work with you to ensure the best available shipping cost.
