African Bead Bracelets Meaning
Hand crafted jewelry has been an essential part of african cultures.
African bead bracelets meaning. There are a lot of different types of african jewelry. According to several historians the origins of jewelry date back 75 000 years ago when ancient africans made use of pea sized snail shells as beads. Africans made and still make bracelets necklaces anklets another jewelry from different natural materials. In most cases continue reading the.
Beaded jewelry in africa dates back thousands of years with many significant meanings and uses. African jewelry s are known for their quality and beauty all over the world. The symbolism and the way the beads are used vary from culture to culture. Ordinarily african jewelry is divided into a wide range of classifications which include necklaces bracelets pendants and earrings.
Though the meaning of the colour of a waist bead varies from culture to culture tribe to tribe its significance is considered very important and powerful in many african communities. Beads were also used historically as currency. The zulu community basically uses the beadwork as a way to communicate with each other just like the old tradition of weddings men give women engagement rings so others know that they are not available in the dating community no more and the zulu community uses beadwork as a form of communication with each other. From a western perspective the term is restricted to durable ornaments excluding flowers for example.
See spelling differences consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment such as brooches rings necklaces earrings pendants bracelets and cufflinks jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. Various types of gemstones are being used in making beaded bracelets. Jewellery or jewelry american english. Jewelry made from africana and africa can be great gifts for men for women even for children.
Consider these examples of symbolic jewelry containing beads from around the world. Choosing the right colour of beads remains as important as its design weight length and flexibility. The refuge of the hebrews in africa during the period of the inquisition brought to the african jewelry explosive colors and also introduced the technique of cloisonneƩ of chinese origin which is also known as alveolate enamel and is an ancient technique for decoration of metal objects in recent centuries through the use of glaze. The jewelry serves as a status symbol or symbolizes affiliation with a particular.
The styles uses and meaning of african beads and beaded items varies by country region and community but beads are a common theme in african jewelry art and culture. There are many types of african jewelry s such as pendants bracelets earrings necklaces and other types of tribal african jewelry.