Yellow Hebron Trade Beads

Richly textured Hebron beads in an earthy yellow color. These beads are becoming harder and harder to find.

Hebron Beads, also known as Kano Beads, are glass trade beads crafted from glass using salts sourced from the Dead Sea, predating 1885. Originating in the Holy City of Hebron, Palestine, known for its religious significance, the beads have a glass-making history dating back to 63 BCE. The early Hebron Beads were basic blown glass spheres featuring evil eye designs. In the 18th Century, British explorer William George Brown detailed two sizes of beads, Hershe and Munjir, highlighting their rough texture and rustic appearance.

In the 1800s, Hebron's glass artisans shifted their focus to producing beads exclusively for trade, gaining popularity in African regions, notably among the Igbo and Yoruba tribes in Kano, Nigeria. These beads, created with salts from the Dead Sea and sand from Bani Na’im, exhibit a distinctive eroded look. The Yoruba, valuing large beads as symbols of wealth, modified the beads by grinding down their sides for uniformity when strung on raffia. Initially attributed to the Yoruba, the beads became known as "Kano Beads," underscoring their importance in trade networks connecting Africa, Palestine, and Egypt.

This strand is not intended to be a ready-to-wear necklace. Although the strand can be worn "as is," the raffia holding it together is not durable and may break with use. For this reason, we recommend that you restring the beads before wearing them.

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