Michael Silverman World Arts Gallery
African Trade Bead Earring Collection
Each pair of earrings in this collection is made from authenic African Trade beads that are from a collection assembled during the early 1970's. Most of these beads came from European foundries, predominately in Venice, Florence, and Russia. The beads were currency that traded for spices, precious metals, and slaves. Many of the bead styles have names such as chevrons, millefiori, bicone, feather, watermelon, Russian blue, or eye beads depending on the patterns featured. All of the earrings are on sterling silver hoops, and each earring averages just over two inches in length. The larger beads correspondingly weigh a little bit more.
