This is a set of antique African hand carved natural conus shell trade beads found in Mauritania, Africa. This antique African made bead set is in great condition with some wear and light surface patina and the largest bead of the set measures 14.08mm long by 13.82mm wide. These antique African shell beads are increasingly hard to find now and were carved long ago from the centers of large Conus africanus shells also commonly called African cone sea snails, African cones or just cones. Conus is a species of predatory sea snail which is a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Conidae. Like all species within the genus Conus these snails are predatory and venomous and can also sting humans which is why they earned great respect. These antique Conus shell beads are very often misidentified as white coral beads and can exhibit some banding and burnt orange to light pale pinkish colorations. Perfect for jewelry making or adding to your African bead collection. I combine shipping on multiple buys so please be sure to check out my ebay store Mountainamma's Marketplace where I have thousands of items to browse. Buyers of multiple items message me before check out for help combining shipping fees or use the request invoice button.