Monthly Archives: June 2013

Introducing Cedi’s – One of Ghana’s Oldest Recycled Glass Bead Factories

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Bead kiln. BCWorks/ Flickr

Bead kiln. BCWorks/ Flickr

Have you ever wondered where your African Recycled Glass Beads come from? I get so many emails asking where Recycled Glass Beads originate, that I thought it was high time we dedicated a blog post to the subject. Well, more specifically, the tiny factory in Ghana, now supplying some of the biggest online retailers around the globe!

Located off a dirt track on the Sombaya Road, just two hours from Africa, Cedi’s isn’t exactly a well known landmark for tourists. A collective of small, quaint clay buildings with thatched roofs and billowing chimneys, the Cedi plant employs just twelve people across the three acre site. This tiny production plant was the brainchild of Nomoda Ebenizer Djaba, (known locally as Cedi) a bead-maker who learnt his craft from his grandfather in Odumase, Krobo. Keen to expand the family business, he developed the workshop almost a decade ago, and now supplies some of the leading online bead retailers in the US.

Workers at the site each have very specific roles. There are those who are charged with the tasking of grinding down recycled glass into a powder; others who prepare the elaborate clay molds, and bead-smiths, who are responsible for preparing and firing the beads in the termite kiln.

Despite its years in operation, bead production at the factory remains a largely manual process. The glass is crushed down in vast metal buckets with a heavy pole, and the kilns used for firing built by hand from termite clay. Sand-cast beads are washed in a mixture of water and sand to give them that beautiful eroded finish, and even the Fancy Powderglass Beads are painted by hand!

Bauxite Beads: A Semi-Precious Discovery

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Bauxite Necklace. Ann Porteus. Flickr.com

Bauxite Necklace. Ann Porteus. Flickr.com

Semi-precious African beads can really add class to your jewelry creations. But, as I know too well, being able to invest in such valuable beads isn’t always possible when you’re first starting out. Ever one for a bargain, I began searching for beads with similar aesthetics to semi-precious beads that were a little less expensive – and then I discovered Bauxite!

Bauxite is an aluminium ore, and the main element for aluminium sheeting. In its natural state, it is usually speckled or mottled in appearance, with orange and gray deposits. Colors can range from rust-brown to beautiful sunset hues, like salmon pink. Of course, being resourceful as they are, the people of Ghana have long known the beautiful properties of bauxite. Being a soft mineral, it’s relatively easy to manipulate into cylindrical shapes and tubes – the most common shapes of Bauxite Beads.

Ghanaians wear Bauxite Beads for some of their most important religious rites. At funerals, it’s customary for both the corpse, and the mourners to be adorned with beads for the rather bizarre practice of funeral wailing. Relatives and friends of the deceased unite in chanting “We’re going to chew abo” – loosely translated as “we’re going to bite the dust”. “Abo” means “of dust”, and in most parts of the Krobo, these beads are called “Abo Beads”.

Despite the fact Bauxite Beads are still produced in abundance in Ghana, there are quite a number of ceramic imitations circulating online. So, how do you tell the difference? Simply dampen your beads with a little water and sniff them. Real Bauxite Beads smell like fresh earth!

The Different Brass Bead Styles of West Africa

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Brass beads from Ghana

Ashante Brass Beads. Image credit: ZSM. Wikimedia.org

I’ve always been fascinated by the variation in styles of brass beads from West Africa. Given that nearly all are made using the same lost wax method of casting, it’s pretty interesting to learn how certain tribes have adopted the technique, and refined it, to create their own unique adornments.

Yoruba Brass Beads

Yoruba Brass Beads are rarely, if ever, made from pure brass. They are, in fact, made from a variety of base metals, then gilded with a thin coating of molten brass once cool. Yoruba beads are also far simpler in design compared to the elaborate cage beads produced by the Asante, often just a long, coiled tube with raised dots or

Wodaabe Tube Beads

Wodaabe Brass Beads are a rare find, but can be distinguished from most others by their elongated shape and large perforation hole. They are unique to other brass beads in that are produced as a hair adornment, and are often engraved to resemble a braided section of hair.

Igbo Bugs

Igbo Bugs are one of the oldest formats of African brass bead to have originally been used as currency for trade. They are an early type of spacer, so named because of their likeness to evil bed bugs which plague Nigerian villages during the summer. They are easily distinguished by their primitive appearance, and the bulbous brass ball fused onto the base.

Baule Brass Beads

Baule Brass Beads collectively define wound brass tube beads produced by the Akan people of Ghana and the Ivory Coast. They are easily identifiable by the huge Adinkra sun and moon symbols incorporated into their design. “Abode Santen” (the sun) is said to symbolize peace, reverence and the continuity of life, whereas “Osram” (the moon) connotes faith, determination and patience.

Filigree Beads

A personal favorite, Brass Filigree Beads are without doubt the most ornate and elaborate of West African styles. They are generally hollow, with a woven, or cage-like outer structure. Ghana Brass Filigree Beads often feature designs of symbolic importance to the Krobo, such as the evil eye and six-point star.

I’m always on the lookout for other types of Brass Beads from West Africa to add to my hoard, so if you know of any more, please do share.

The Significance of Beads Among West African Tribes

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There are few stipulations on the wearing of beads in West African culture. Both men and women utilize them for adornment, as a means of self expression, and to communicate their spiritual and cultural values. Trade Beads and Recycled Glass Beads have particular significance as a communication tool, and can be worn for one of three reasons:

To Convey Status:

Certain types of Venetian Trade Beads are held in particularly high regard by some West African cultures due to their rarity and color combinations. Green, a color synonymous with knowledge and power, was often the basal color of 19th Century King Beads, making them highly sought after by tribal chiefs. Single Krobo women also wear brightly colored strings of glass beads around their waists to accentuate the hips – with the primary intention of attracting male attention.

As a Symbol of Wealth:

Trade Beads have long been used as a form of currency among African tribes, and are still considered representative of financial security in some parts of West Africa to this day. In Ghana, young women adorn themselves with necklaces, armbands and bracelets made from glass beads prior to the Dipo “coming of age” initiation ceremony. Once the ceremony has concluded, the young girls perform a ritual dance to celebrate this coming of age, and flaunt the wealth of the family. In the North-East of Ghana, glass beads are also still presented to the groom as the bride’s dowry.

For Magical/ Medicinal Purposes:

Throughout West Africa, glass beads have long held sacred symbolism among indigenous cultures. Tribes such as the Mossi of Burkina Faso and the Baoule of the Cote d’Ivoire believe that the essence of their ancestors lives on in beads, and that by wearing them, they may benefit from the knowledge and wisdom of their forebears. Krobo glass beads decorated with eyes or spots are believed to protect the wearer from being harmed by evil spirits, and even enhance psychic ability!