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Check out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsTake a closer look at this unusual strand of Telsum Beads from the northern region of Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of artisanal bead-making t...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum barrel beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to ...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual barrel-shaped telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particu...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsThese beautiful Telsum pendants are fashioned in a unique teardrop shape. Telsums are worn in Ethiopia as protective amulets, and are said to shiel...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual ornately detailed telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is par...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual copper colored telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is partic...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsThese cute Ethiopian pendants are made with a beautiful white metal. They are believed to provide their owner with protection from evil. Each penda...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particular to Ethiopi...
View full detailsCheck out this set of unusual extra fancy telsum beads from the northern region Ethiopia. Telsum is a unique style of bead-making that is particula...
View full detailsEthiopian Telsum Beads are a popular variety of African metal beads produced in Northern Ethiopia. Traditionally worn for their talismanic properties, they come in a variety of shapes – the most common being triangles, rectangles and half crescents. Each shape is believed to protect the wearer from a different form of evil: triangular amulets for protection against the “evil eye”, and the crescent for evil spells cast under the moon.
Ethiopian Telsum Beads have become a popular focal component within modern African jewelry designs due to their association with fertility. The connector styles in particular are believed to enhance fertility when adorned with phallic beads. In some tribes, betrothed men also present telsums to their brides on the eve of their wedding for this reason. Square and rectangular Ethiopian Telsum Beads are customarily worn as prayer boxes, strung upon a single strand of cloth or yarn along with colored glass or natural beads.
Telsum are distinguishable from other African metal beads by their geometric designs and elaborate raised patterns. The number, size and distribution of these dots are significant among some tribes who still use Ethiopian Telsum Beads for prayer and protection. Historically, Telsum Beads were made from silver sourced from the Maria Theresa thaler, however, modern versions tend to be a combination of white metal alloys, including nickel. Most also tend to have an aged appearance due to oxidation, which only adds to their vintage appeal.