Item: Trade bead necklace. Hand Made, Glass Venetian/African, Beads.
Length: 58cm. (Drop lengh is half of this)
Bead size: 2.5 x 2 cm 
Hole size: 0.2mm 
Number of Beads: 26
Origin: Africa/Europe

Context: Chinese and Indian merchants are known to have traded up and down the east coast long before European seafaring expeditions rounded the Cape of Good Hope. And Phoenician and Arab traders used to supply beads in exchange for commodities (such as ivory, gold and slaves) that were much in demand during the period of the Egyptian Pharaohs as well as the Roman Empire.
Because of their relative scarcity in ancient times, beads were mostly the possessions of rulers and influential people. A dramatic shift occurred from the late 15th century onwards as a result of contact with Europe. First the Portuguese and later the Dutch, English, French, Belgian and German colonial powers brought millions of Venetian, Dutch and Bohemian glass beads to Africa, making them a common commodity and forever altering the continent’s artistic and cultural landscape. From 1820 onwards, British trade on the Cape eastern frontier, a region known as the Ciskei and Transkei, placed glass beads in the hands of ordinary Xhosa folk. This trend would spread further along the eastern coast among the Zulu and into the interior among the Ndebele, a chiefdom closely related to them. Ndebele women are arguably best known for the heavy brass rings they wear around their necks and legs, symbol of their married status. But they are also renowned for their bead embroidery on aprons, headdresses and cloaks – and in a variety of intricate patterns echoing the traditional geometric designs on the walls of their houses.

Shipping

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