Beads From Africa And A Great Giveway!

While you and I play and create and make a livelihood with our beads, I wonder how many of us realise the profound influence beads have had in the history of our world.

Take beads from Africa for example. Back when European explorers, traders and missionaries were venturing into the African continent, one of the important items they took with them was beads. Beads, mainly of glass, were used as gifts or for barter and trade. Glass beads were exchanged for water, food, gold, ivory, and many such commodities and sadly also for slaves.

We have all heard of African Trade Beads! Today these beads are valuable because of their age, their historical significance and their beauty. Recently I checked out the collection of African Trade Beads for sale at thebeadchest.com.  So much history, so much variety, aren't they beautiful?

Colorful Chevron Beads

Even more colorful Millefiori Beads

African cultures that used beads in their everyday life, opened up to these bright and colorful European beads, and are now known by such joyful names as Christmas Beads (I think they are called that because of they remind one of colorful Christmas decorations) and Wedding Beads (a gift to brides on their wedding day). What fun designs come to mind when I see these colorful beads!

Multi-colored Christmas Beads

The Bridal Mali Wedding Beads

Today, beads made in Africa are a product of their environment and are often made from natural material such as wood, seed, shell, bone, and recycled material such as glass and paper.

Check out this video report that CNN made of thebeadchest.com. What I would give to walk through a bead market in Ghana! Wouldn't that be an adventure?

If you are like me and enjoy working with such exotic beads, you don't have to travel to Africa. You got to look no further than thebeadchest.com. Their store carries a wide variety of colorful beads from Africa, both those used for trade and those made there. The selection of beads span the vast African continent from Ethiopia to South Africa, and from Mali to Ghana. Check it out for yourselves.

And now for the Great Giveaway! 

Thebeadchest.com has generously agreed to give a $25.00 GIFT CERTIFICATE to shop their store for beads of your choice. 

To get your name in the draw you have to leave me a comment on this blog before the 24th of October.

• I would like to know if you have used African beads in any of your jewelry designs? If yes, let me know what kind. 
• Then visit thebeadchest.com and tell me if you had your choice, which would be your favorite strand of beads?
• If you blog about this giveaway to tell all your friends about it, you will be entered  twice.

Please make sure I have your email address to contact you if you should win this fabulous prize.
Don't miss this chance to purchase some exotic African beads and add a new look to your jewelry designs.
The lucky winner will be announced on October 25th.

African beads for sale!

The Bead Chest is a leading online retailer of trade beads, millefiori beads, Krobo beads, and other great glass beads.

Summer Design Contest from Happy Mango Beads

I found Happy Mango Beads through an advertisement in a bead magazine and was thrilled at the selection of exotic beads they carry from far-a-way lands. They have ancient beads and modern day beads, the store is a history lesson on beads!

Some of the purchases I made from them resulted in this memorable necklace, using a handcrafted brass face mask and recycled sandcast glass beads from Ghana in West Africa.

Happy Mango Beads is now sponsoring a beading contest and the theme is 'Songs of Summer'

You must hurry as the contest deadline is August 6, 2010. The categories that you can enter in are as follows:

Summertime Blues  - all shades of blue

Under the Sea – seashells, coral, pearls, fish

California Sun – yellows that feel like sunshine, touches of orange and red

Hot Fun in the Summertime – fun & funky!

Kokomo – a tropical flare using colors such as: lime, aqua, hot pink, orange or coconut wood

Saturday in the Park – green grass, leaves, blue/green ponds, specks of floral

Rocky Mountain High – nature inspired, gemstones

Under the Boardwalk – wood, recycled glass

Summer in the City – metals, glass, ceramic

Tiptoe through the Tulips – think flowers! 

That pretty much covers every creative avenue, and you do not have to use beads purchased from Happy Mango Beads!

The overall winner gets a $100 gift certificate to Happy Mango Beads, while winners of each category get a $25.00 gift certificate to be used at the store. Check out the contest rules and lets get beading!