Seed Beads 6 Strands Togo Necklace

A beautiful six-strand seed bead necklace from Togo, West Africa, showcasing traditional craftsmanship and rich cultural style. This necklace features multiple strands of finely strung glass seed beads layered together to create a full, textured look. The beads display harmonious colors and subtle variations that reflect their handmade and vintage nature.

Originally worn for adornment and status, multi-strand seed bead necklaces like this are an important part of West African jewelry traditions. The strands are gathered at the ends, forming a flexible and comfortable necklace that drapes nicely when worn or displays well as part of a collection

"Trade Beads" refer to beads primarily produced in Venice, Bohemia, and other European countries from the late 1400s to the early 1900s, traded in Africa and the Americas. The peak of this trade occurred from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, with the Venetians dominating production. J.F. Sick and Co. and Moses Lewin Levin played significant roles as bead brokers/importers. The beads gained renewed popularity in the late 1960s when exported from Africa to the U.S. and Europe. The term "Trade Beads" became widely used, and they were also known as "Love Beads" during the Hippie era. As demand grew, specific names like "Russian Blues" and "Dutch Donuts" emerged, contributing to the beads' collectability. Today, these beads are highly sought after, with some styles becoming rarer as African traders venture deeper into the continent to find them