Copper and silver beads are quite popular, but it’s the brass African beads that really turn heads, they can turn heads! You can wear them on necklaces or bracelets as a full beaded necklace or paired with a stone for a gorgeous and unique piece of jewelry. What most people don’t know is that these eye-catching beads have a story behind them, aside from the fact that they are handmade jewelry that has been created to treasure ancient art. These ornamental beads always have a story to tell.
In addition to being ornamental, these beads are used by different tribal groups in Africa for rituals and religious beliefs. There is a theory or reason to use each of them as jewelry.
Brass is used a lot in Savannah; this region is the hub of the trade route between West and North Africa. Tribes in the equatorial rainforest region have acquired their wealth from this type of trade. Royalty from Benin in southern Nigeria are known to wear ornaments made from brass beads for special occasions. These intricately carved brass beads are highly prized, so much so that even the king here called Oba wears these ornamental pieces of brass jewelry. Here, these beads are turned into beautiful pieces of jewelry using a method called bronze casting, also known as the lost wax method. This bronze casting process dates back to the 13th century. Even the tribe of Ghana is known to use these beads extensively using the lost wax method.
Today, Kenya and Ethiopia produce brass beads on a large scale. However, Ghana is credited with producing the most complex batch of these beads. Making these metal beads requires exceptional skills as it must be created by hand. These bracelets are very popular among Nigerian women. Interestingly, the women here wear these bracelets to attract young men.
Religious beliefs are one of the main reasons why the inhabitants of the Yoruba region use them in their jewelry. The Yoruba group believe in spirits, commonly known as Orishas. These African beads are believed to protect them from evil spirits.
For the Moors, brass means trade; they exchange their jewelry during an annual festival called the Cure Salee. The nomadic women of this tribe wrap their hair and ankles with brass beads. Ankles known as jabo are believed to help young women attract men. The jabo is used until the birth of their first child. The beads worn by most tribals and nomads are creative and innovative, but at the same time have religious and mythical significance, sometimes even used as dowry.
Over the years, African brass beads have undergone numerous changes. Ghana’s Krofofrom artisans now use bread to make ornamental and decorative jewelry; it is still an important craft among the tribes here. However, to date they use the lost wax method and also make handmade brass beads. These accounts have now become popular all over the world; They come in various designs, shapes and sizes. They give each piece of jewelry a distinctive look.
