Blue Kiffa Bead, Imitating Cowry Shell Antique Stone 38 beads in this strand

38 beads in this strand

It may have been a scarf-weight as well

First image shows a 20 gram pick

27-30mm in diameter x 14-15mm thick (hollow) with 10-11mm loop for stringing

Blue Kiffa Bead, Imitating Cowry Shell Antique Stone 38 beads in this strandThis very cool bead was made in Kiffa, Mauritania. It is very old and was made as a female fertility charm to resemble a cowry shell, mainly by women artists. Historically, Kiffa beads are very important as its ancient technique (dating to 1000 years ago) made it one of the oldest glass bead making processes in Africa, which was purely African in origin. This bead is around 200 years old, possibly older. 12 17mm tall x 9 13mm wide x 6mm thick with a