Origins of Beads
Beads have been used for centuries across various cultures. Africans used them to trade, barter and make jewelry. Native Americans used them to make their cultural wear. The Natives used various materials such as shells, stones, bones, seeds, and natural fibers to create them. In ancient Egypt, beads were more than simple adornments; they were created with deep spiritual and cultural meaning. The Egyptians believed that beads could provide protection, health, and prosperity, connecting the wearer to the gods. Beads made of materials like faience, a glazed non-clay ceramic substance, were especially significant. Faience beads Faience beads, often blue or green, symbolized fertility, the life-giving waters of the Nile, and rebirth, themes central to Egyptian religion and funerary practices. They were used in fancy necklaces, bracelets, and even as funerary amulets, accompanying the dead into the afterlife.
