| Original Message: Definitely Powder Glass, and I still think they're Kiffas |
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Under the microscope, the "black" glass is revealed to be a finely ground mix of bright blue and beer bottle brown. The stripes and dots are "painted on" fused yellow and white powder glass. I say "painted on" because this powder glass does not resemble the stuff from Ghana? - the colors of the glass are carefully separated, whereas when I look at Ghana? powder glass beads from ten years ago I see lots of mixed colors [e.g., yellow turns out to be a mix of yellow, blue, red, white, green...], with the patterns applied by what looks like sequential layering throughout the bead, not surface application. So I still think they're Kiffa beads, based upon manufacture technique and what strikes me as a feminine design. But of course I don't have a letter stating that Fatima in Mauritania made these personally. [the blue glob in the photo is a ratty old piece of bluetack] All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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