I have nothing significant to add. Your exposition is good, with food for thought.

I suppose, over the years, I have accepted that these were "Dogon beads," without questioning that idea. Certainly, there is a known class of stone beads, made by the Dogon into necklaces, held in forged iron chains and a "cage." These are larger beads, but also non-precious gray stones, that apparently they liked for status/ritual purposes.

JDA.