Idar Oberstein today is home to a school for jewelry which attracts international students and teachers. It is a tourist attraction for those looking for fun stuff to do with kids, and is a huge place for mineral collectors. The picture shows kids from a school trip, using their pocket money for fun stuff, 99% made in China and India ;-)

Last time, I kept asking people for old beads, and what they knew about them. The word for beads in German is 'Perlen', which is the same as the word for pearls. My question was often met with blank stares. When I emailed the Impexco company, they replied by saying they did not sell any Perlen, and included and image of strands and strands of beads.

And then I found that they do not call the stone beads Perlen, but have a whole range of names for them, depending on shape and history. So once I got the language right, things started moving along a lot quicker. So, Krallen, Anhänger, Turmringe, Walzen, etc. And the word they use the most? Afrikanisches Geld, or African Money.