Clamshell Heishi Beads
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 are 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.
Strand Length:
24 inches (includes string/raffia)
Bead Size:
7-8 mm diameter. See picture with penny for size comparison. U.S. penny is 19mm in diameter.
150304
Approximate Age: 20th Century
Country of Origin: Africa