So I don't usually stumble across an online bead auction that leaves me stumped -- but these are so totally cool that I thought I'd see if others had any reaction!

Just curious!

Abe

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/56999663_rare-african-sao-terracotta-bead-necklace-w-tl

They are described as:

Central Africa, Chad, Sao culture, ca. 14th to 15th century CE. A collection of seventeen mold-made terracotta beads of varying size, with distinctive spiky, textured surfaces. The Sao people lived around rivers, especially the Chari and Logone and their tributaries, that are in modern Chad, Central African Republic, and Cameroon. What little we know of them comes from archaeology and the written 16th century CE account of Ahmad ibn Furtu, an Islamic explorer and imam who came into contact with them. The Sao lived in moat-protected city states and produced amazing ceramic artwork like these beads. Size of largest bead: 2.9" W (7.4 cm); length of strand: 15" (38.1 cm)