African Jewellery

You know what I love about African jewellery? 

The fact that it tells a story and it’s so compelling to look at. 

I’m not saying I haven’t seen some blah pieces of jewellery – I have. But on the whole it’s pretty exciting and the stories behind the jewellery are just fabulous, rich and full of culture.

Did you know that jewellery is actually supposed to have originated from Africa? It was considered a form of wearable art – testament to the crafter’s skill.

The other thing I love about African jewellery is the diversity of materials that are used in making it. It doesn’t confine itself to precious stones or metals, it uses semi-precious stones, bronze, copper and even materials as random as shells, animal teeth and bones!

You can’t talk about African jewellery without talking about beading and beadwork. What’s obvious is that the beads come in dozens of different shapes, colours and materials. Not so obvious is the fact that some of the beads and beading patterns have such depth of meaning.

Take cowrie shells for example, they were specifically chosen to represent female fertility.

A quick image search will immediately explain why if you don’t know what they look like! Glass beads were shipped over from Europe in the fifteenth century to West Africa and were used as payment for the purchase of slaves.

Even today, specific beads and patterns have meaning. Take the Samburu of Kenya for example – their beads are made of glass in red, white, blue and green. 

The blue beads represent the sky and the Deity that resides there. 

The green beads represent the grass that the cattle feed on. 

The red beads represent blood and the life giving property of the cow blood that they often drink mixed with milk – represented by the white beads.

So next time you see a piece of African jewellery that you really like, see if you can put together the story behind it.

Go out and get yourself some today and proceed to dazzle your friends with your superior knowledge lol! 

Bye!