Man wearing beads...Grin!

Photos by Bob Brundage.

This gentleman is wearing beads loosely strung so that he can easily remove one for sale.

I try to save special individual beads. And then I don't really know what to do with them. All I know is I want to show them off. So I have been taking design classes with Lucia Antonelli, who helps me with construction and design ideas.

portions of the necklace as it is worn. I had it upside down in my mind. Would still like to see the whole necklace when you are wearing it sometime.

Nora

I wear it upside down because I like it better on me that way. On a smaller person, it fits as originally intended when worn right side up. I should try to photograph it that way for you.

Great necklace Fred, can I assume that you constructed it from various parts? It appears to be multi-cultural, is that the case? If so I love it even more.

Happy collecting,

jan

ps: Some Berber Treasure necklaces below (sorry, no men in picture):

It is Berber design inspired. But I also included other beads to express my point of view.

By comparison, an authentic Berber necklace would not be so fussy -nor knotted. Using tiny in-between beads allows my necklace to easily fold into the palm of one hand.

I have the feeling that nomadic Berbers may have used their necklaces as currency -because a loosely strung necklace can easily be dismantled for parts.

"Bead collectors have scissors in their eyes." When I see an authentic Berber necklace, I always want to cut it apart so I can keep the beads which speak to me.

Really special design. Wear it, and wear it well. It is an outstanding necklace!

http://www.theancientaliens.com/cone-head-skulls

When we were living in Ghana from 2008-2011 we made a trip to Togo and Benin. These photo's are from a local market in the north of Benin where a man was wearing this beautiful necklace with old trade beads.

One of the Durbar's in Ghana when there is a meet and great with many chiefs, decorated with a lot of necklaces with very old, old and new (Krobo) beads.

Enjoy it.

Nel

Both dignitaries in the photos have yellow disk beads that are too irregular to be Bohemian "button" beads. There are two "types", one broader and brighter, and I've seen other variations. There are also rounds in similar chalky yellow glass. I'm curious what others know of them. The Traders say they are old, and Venetian. I am wondering: a) Same glass as the commonest yellow King beads, and/or the cores of Cournelene d'Aleppo (older white hearts), b) Would they have been cheap and easy to make in the early 1800s or earlier? My "theory" is that they would have been one of the first yellow beads made in Venice for the Africa trade, and they are pretty old, which is why the Traders value them, even tho they are not pretty and not really rare.

Sir Rod Stewart and Russell Brand

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Transvestites.

Transexuals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCZDWZFtyWY

In his war shirt. He fought in the liberation war in Ghana. His strand of beads includes a bunch of shotgun shells. His grand daughter is holding a gun he used in the war. He's about 75 in this picture. He passed last year.

Yes, we drove up to Koforidua one day to meet Godfried and take him some meds and a phone from Dr Stewart who introduced me to Cedi. Godfried had diabetes and some of his meds were hard to get in Ghana so we took him some from America. We spent the day around the area and Godfried's nephew Richard gave us a major tour of the area. Godfried was a kick. He insisted we all pose in his war shirt for photos. He had a hat made from a cows udder which went with it. He also shared with us some war stories and some of his home made wine. Richard also took us to the Aburi Botanical Garden which was quite spectacular. Queen Victoria came to Ghana once to visit the garden.

These are pictures I took for 'Beads from Tucson'.

Abdul Karim Cham

Paul Johnson

Jamey Allen

Rusty Glicksman

Kevin O' Grady

Phil Fischman

Russ Nobbs, who we lost two years ago, with his wife, Dee.

a very good man

This is from 2013.

Tim & Alan in 2013; Jake in 2015.

Kashmir (May 1974): this young man was not nishedha yet, but we share one and the same body.