On the hunt of the perfect spacer? Looking for a nice brass accent piece for your next necklace or bracelet design? Look no further! Our Baule Brass beads are going to work perfectly for you. Baule Brass beads are made using artisan techniques that date all the way back to ancient West Africa. Here at The Bead Chest our selection of Baule Brass beads is immense, from our stunning natural shaded baule brass beads to our silver colored baule brass beads and from our striking selection of copper baule beads to our opulent gold toned baule beads we know you’re going to have a hard time narrowing down your choices.

The tradition of jewelry making in the Ivory Coast is a long practiced and refined custom. Baule beads were highly valuable and sought after in the past and still hold their popularity in modern day African society. Brass Baule beads can be seen being used in creative artwork, bracelets, necklace and waist chains all across West Africa and in places all over the world. Historically Baule beads were used as weights and to measure gold. Tribes across West Africa use the jewelry casting method the lost-wax process to make Baule beads. Some of the oldest evidence of the use of this technique have been discovered in areas of southern Israel, dating back to 3500 BC. The lost-wax process involved a lot of meticulous and interesting steps. Initially the artisan creates a mold from either clay or wax. Once the mold is finished molten wax is poured into it and is pushed around until the mold is evenly coated. Next the wax copy is removed from the mold and is carved and engraved with the artisans desired patterns and markings. Next the wax mold is dipped into either sand or silica to make a sort of ceramic shell for the wax model. Next the ceramic coated model is placed in a kiln and is hardened. Next the hardened mold is tested to see if it has cooled enough. Next molten metal is poured into the mold shell that is made of wax. Once the metal mold is cast the wax is melted and drained away. Once hardened the metal beads look identical to the original wax model.

So now that you know a little more in depth about the intense and intricate amount of detail that goes into making Brass Baule beads you can appreciate them that much more. With so many complex patterns and designs to choose from we know that we’ll have the right brass Baule bead strand for you!