Clamshell Tiny Heishi Beads MATTER COLLECTION
Description
The name Heishi‚ comes to us from the Santo Domingo and San Felipe Pueblo Indians of New Mexico and can be translated as shell bead. The earliest recorded beads were made using the Heishi technique. Heishi is produced by perforating shell fragments, threading them on wire, and then grinding them into disk shapes against a stone. Whereas Heishi originally referred only to shell beads made with this technique, the term is now applied to disk-shaped beads made from almost any natural material.
Provenance: Matter Collection
From the collection of Margie and Phil Matter. Margie lived in South Africa, and later she and her husband Phil opened a gallery in Tucson. Everything in this collection was in their home for more than thirty years. Africa Direct recently bought the collection; at 95, Margie wants to share the things she has loved so much.
Strand Length: 24 inches (includes string/raffia)
Bead Size: 5 mm diameter. See picture with penny for size comparison. U.S. penny is 19mm in diameter.
153667
Approximate Age: 20th Century
Country of Origin: Africa