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  • Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
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    Current price $14.00

    White Moroccan Pottery Beads (Rondelle)

    in stock

    These white pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary slightly but mea...

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    Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
    Original price $14.00
    $14.00
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    Current price $14.00
  • Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
    Original price $16.00
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    Black Terracotta Mali Clay Bicone Beads (16mm)

    Out of stock

    Take a look at this beautiful strand of black terra cotta mali claybeads. Beautifully hand crafted, each bead may show slight variation in size and...

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    Original price $16.00 - Original price $16.00
    Original price $16.00
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  • Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
    Original price $12.00
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    White Moroccan Pottery Beads (Round)

    in stock

    These white pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary slightly but mea...

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    Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
    Original price $12.00
    $12.00
    $12.00 - $12.00
    Current price $12.00
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    Original price $12.00
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    Black Moroccan Pottery Beads (12mm)

    in stock

    These black pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary slightly but mea...

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    Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
    Original price $12.00
    $12.00
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    Current price $12.00
  • Original price $14.95 - Original price $14.95
    Original price $14.95
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    Natural Oblong Terracotta Beads

    Out of stock

    Amazing strand of Natural Terracotta beads. Beautifully hand crafted, each bead may show slight variation and may vary. However, the size of beads ...

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    Original price $14.95 - Original price $14.95
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  • Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
    Original price $45.00
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    Mali Clay Spindle Disk Beads (Tribal Design)

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. Each s...

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    Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
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    Current price $45.00
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    Mali Clay Spindle Beads (Gumdrop)

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. Designs...

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    Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
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    Current price $45.00
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  • Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
    Original price $45.00
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    Cobalt Blue Patterned Terracotta Beads

    Out of stock

    Amazing strand of authentic Cobalt Blue Terracotta Clay Beads from Ghana. These great strands include a medley of shapes including round, bicone, c...

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    Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
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  • Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
    Original price $14.00
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    Current price $14.00

    Turquoise Moroccan Pottery Beads (Rondelle)

    in stock

    These turquoise pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary slightly but...

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    Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
    Original price $14.00
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    Current price $14.00
  • Original price $8.50 - Original price $8.50
    Original price $8.50
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    White Moroccan Pottery Beads (Rectangle)

    in stock

    These white pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary slightly but mea...

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    Original price $8.50 - Original price $8.50
    Original price $8.50
    $8.50
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    Current price $8.50
  • Original price $89.00 - Original price $89.00
    Original price $89.00
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    Current price $89.00

    Old Mali Clay Spindle Gumdrop Beads (Unique)

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. This is ...

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    Original price $89.00 - Original price $89.00
    Original price $89.00
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    Current price $89.00
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  • Original price $55.00 - Original price $55.00
    Original price $55.00
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    Patterned Mali Clay Spindle Bicone Beads (27x25mm)

    Out of stock

    Take a look at this great strand of black colored terracotta beads from Mali. Beautifully hand crafted, each bead may show slight variation in size...

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    Original price $55.00 - Original price $55.00
    Original price $55.00
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    Current price $55.00
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  • Original price $95.00
    Original price $95.00 - Original price $95.00
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    Antique Mali Clay Spindle Beads

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. This is ...

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    Original price $95.00
    Original price $95.00 - Original price $95.00
    Original price $95.00
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  • Original price $26.50 - Original price $26.50
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    Dogon Mali Clay Spindle Beads (Round)

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. Shape ...

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    Original price $26.50 - Original price $26.50
    Original price $26.50
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  • Original price $49.00 - Original price $49.00
    Original price $49.00
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    Current price $49.00

    Cuneiform Mali Clay Spindle Beads (Bicone)

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. A few be...

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    Original price $49.00 - Original price $49.00
    Original price $49.00
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    Current price $49.00
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  • Original price $1.99 - Original price $1.99
    Original price $1.99
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    Current price $1.99

    Turquoise Egyptian Soapstone Scarab Beads (Set of 5)

    Out of stock

    Take a second to admire these lovely Turquoise Egyptian Soapstone Scarab Beads. Scarab style beads have been used in jewelry designs for 100s of ye...

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    Original price $1.99 - Original price $1.99
    Original price $1.99
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  • Original price $365.00
    Original price $365.00 - Original price $365.00
    Original price $365.00
    Current price $285.00
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    Current price $285.00

    Super Jumbo Antique Clay Spindle Beads

    Out of stock

    This authentic strand of antique clay spindle beads is from Nigeria, West Africa. These are original spindle beads that were used as apart of a loo...

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    Original price $365.00
    Original price $365.00 - Original price $365.00
    Original price $365.00
    Current price $285.00
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  • Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
    Original price $45.00
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    Sunflower Yellow Patterned Terracotta Beads

    Out of stock

    Amazing strand of authentic Yellow Terracotta Clay Beads from Ghana. These great strands include a medley of shapes including round, bicone, cylind...

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    Original price $45.00 - Original price $45.00
    Original price $45.00
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    Current price $45.00
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  • Original price $25.00 - Original price $25.00
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    Natural Terracotta Beads (Large)

    Out of stock

    Amazing strand of Natural Terracotta beads. Beautifully hand crafted, each bead may show slight variation. However, the size of beads are fairly un...

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    Original price $25.00 - Original price $25.00
    Original price $25.00
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    Current price $25.00
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  • Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
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    Rouge Red Moroccan Pottery Beads (12mm)

    Only 4 left!

    These red pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary slightly but measu...

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    Original price $12.00 - Original price $12.00
    Original price $12.00
    $12.00
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    Current price $12.00
  • Original price $9.00 - Original price $9.00
    Original price $9.00
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    Traditional Kenya Clay Beads (Cylinder)

    Out of stock

    Take a look at this nice strand of cylindrical clay beads from Kenya. This traditional design features a beautiful black and white contrast.

    Original price $9.00 - Original price $9.00
    Original price $9.00
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  • Original price $89.00 - Original price $89.00
    Original price $89.00
    $89.00
    $89.00 - $89.00
    Current price $89.00

    Old Mali Clay Spindle Gumdrop Beads (Unique)

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. This is ...

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    Original price $89.00 - Original price $89.00
    Original price $89.00
    $89.00
    $89.00 - $89.00
    Current price $89.00
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  • Original price $95.00 - Original price $95.00
    Original price $95.00
    $95.00
    $95.00 - $95.00
    Current price $95.00

    Antique Mali Clay Spindle Beads

    Out of stock

    This beautiful strand of Mali Spindle Whorl beads is handmade with clay and individually inscribed. It is made by the Dogon tribe of Mali. This is ...

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    Original price $95.00 - Original price $95.00
    Original price $95.00
    $95.00
    $95.00 - $95.00
    Current price $95.00
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  • Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
    Original price $14.00
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    Current price $14.00

    Serpentine Green Moroccan Pottery Beads (Round -11mm)

    Out of stock

    These serpentine green color pottery beads are characteristic of Berber jewelry from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Individual bead sizes may vary...

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    Original price $14.00 - Original price $14.00
    Original price $14.00
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    Current price $14.00
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African Clay Beads are among the earliest bead formats known to man, many archeological finds pre-dating the famous shell hoard of the Blombus Cave on Africa's Southern Cape by as much as 20,000 years. But while tribes in the South and West of Africa have a long affiliation with clay bead production, it is the Dogon tribes of Bandiagara in Mali who are modernly revered for their beautiful black clay creations. Distinguished by their charcoal coloration and elaborate milgrain-like detailing, Mali Clay Spindle Whorl Beads were originally intended for use as currency among trans-Saharan merchants. Their value to merchants was determined by their coloration – the darker the beads, the higher their net worth.

Clay Beads from Mali are distinguishable from other beads in Africa by their coloration. Most natural clay found in Africa is of a reddish-brown hue, however, in the cliffs of Bandiagara, it is near black. Modern crafters often manipulate the hue by adding ground ash, charcoal and the remnants of other pottery or china to the ground down clay mixture. Water, oil and tree gum are added to the mixture to help it adhere during firing, and the clay is then fashioned into a conical spindle whorl shape. Designs are carved into the surface using a hacksaw blade or shard of glass, and the beads are then fired in an open charcoal brazier. Once cool, they are immersed in a whitewash several times before they are left to dry. Excess paint is gently rubbed off using a cloth, leaving just the carved areas decorated. Red clay beads produced by the Zarma people are made using a very similar technique, but although beautiful, they aren't nearly as popular as their black counterparts.