Characteristics Worth Knowing About African Trade Beads

By Richard Hall


Beads are used as a form of accessories for the body. They help in enhancing the beauty of a person. In many cases, one might be in need of authentic African trade beads simply because they have proven the test of time in their durability. However, the challenge sets in when you do not have an idea on what to look out for in order to identify whether the one you need belongs into such a group. There are certain things that you must have in order to help you choose.

Most of these beads are in demand just because the quality is a guarantee. One significant way to identify one is to check out for the possibilities of being dusty and even dirt at some time. Most of them were not reserved in clean areas and this is the reason so much dust got ingrained in them.

Most of these kinds of stuff are very expensive. The reason for this is simply because there are know people with such techniques who can make an exact quality like those ones. Therefore, be very keen in identifying things like the lines of symmetry in them. Most do not resemble one another. Bearing in mind that most were made using the hands of experts then it is not easy for each of them to be equal to the other one.

Another common feature that can help you identify a true one is the weight of one once measured on a weighing machine. Most are very heavy as compared to the modern ones. This is simply because they were handmade, unlike the today ones that are given enough finish by a machine.

You will find that many of the vintages available have specific details that explain further on their areas of origin. As you narrow down your selections on to specific experts ensure that you work with the one who has the correct detail about the globule on it. This should explain where it exactly came from and also the group of people who used it.

There is so much difference when you compare globules that were made in a similar design. For instance, if you look closely at a bracelet you will notice that each one of them differs from the next one on the same string. The reason for this is because bare hands and not machines were used in making the writings and the designing process.

The real old ones have been used for quite a long period of time. Due to this constant use, you expect most of them to be slightly faded. Therefore, you ought to be very keen on the color to identify such minute differences. If most of them seem new and deeply colored then continue with the search.

The texture of these products is also a bit rough. The reason for this was because the melting process involved the use of sodium and sand. This could not give one an exact smooth outcome. With this in mind then you will be able to differentiate between a fake make and an old one.




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