African Jewelry

The African continent is vast. There are deserts. There are jungles. There are coasts. There are mountains, islands. The people are also vastly different. Yet, the African continent overall has had a major hand in producing some of the world's most memorable jewelry. What does each nation offer that best summarizes its most notable contribution to or chapter in the jewelry world? Here's my opinion, showing both the good and the bad.

• Algeria - Tuareg Silver, Berber Jewelry


• Angola - Diamonds


• Benin - Bronze Bracelets


• Burkina Faso - Bracelets From Recycled Plastic Mats


• Botswana - Diamonds


• Burundi - Tagua Nut Jewelry


• Cameroon - Cowrie Shell and Pearl Jewelry


• Central African Republic -


• Chad - Clay Beads


• Congo - Conflict Diamonds, Ivory, Brass


• Democratic Republic of Congo - Militia-Controlled Gold Mines


• Djibouti - Maghreb & Berber Silver Jewelry


• Egypt - Ancient Gold, Glass, Lapis Lazuli Jewelry Featuring Iconic Hieroglyphic Designs


• Eritrea - Gold Jewelry


• Ethiopia - Ethiopian Coptic Crosses, Lapis Lazuli


• Gambia - Glass "Donut" Beads


• Ghana - Recycled Glass Krobo Beads


• Guinea Bissau - Amber


• Ivory Coast - Brass Trade Beads


• Kenya - Maasai Beadwork


• Lesotho - Clay Bead & Cow Horn Jewelry


• Liberia - Metal Bullet Shell beads


• Libya - Silver Coin Jewelry


• Madagascar - Gemstones (particularly Ruby and Sapphire)


• Malawi - Lori Leavitt's Panthera Collection


• Mali - Tuareg Silver, Fulani Glass Wedding Jewelry Sets


• Mauritania - Silver Berber Jewelry, Powder Glass Kiffa Beads


• Morocco - Silver Berber Jewelry


• Mozambique - Tourmaline


• Namibia - "Precious Earth" Sustainable Diamonds


• Niger - Tuareg Silver


• Nigeria - Bronze, Yoruba Beaded Jewelry


• Rwanda - Paper Bead Collectives


• Senegal - Fulani Beads, Cowrie Shells


• Sierra Leone - Blood or Conflict Diamonds


• Somalia - Coin Art Jewelry


• South Africa - Diamond & Gold Mines


• Sudan - Rashaida Nomad Jewelry


• Swaziland - Elephant & Giraffe Hair Jewelry


• Tanzania - Tanzanite


• Togo - Clam shell heishi


• Tunisia - Hands of Fatma & Fish Symbols, Silver Berber Jewelry


• Uganda - Recycled Magazine Paper Bead Cooperatives


• Western Sahara - Silver Berber Jewelry


• Zambia - Silver


• Zimbabwe - Conflict Diamonds

The Ugandan community is bringing money into the country by making beads out of recycled magazines and creating beautiful jewelry with these beads. Various non-profit groups such as Bead For Life and wacia.org are working at distributing these beads worldwide and returning the profits to the artisans in Uganda. A major hurdle to keeping this beaded jewelry both fair-trade and affordably priced is the transporation cost. Shipping fees from the country of Uganda are extremely high.

Jewelers in Krobo, Ghana have developed an intricate and sometimes dangerous process to make beads out of glass. Reclaimed glass, mostly from broken auto windshields, is crushed into a finely ground powder with a bucket and a drive shaft from a car. Pigments can then be added to this powder for different colors. The powder is then carefully poured into molds made of clay, with a cassava twig placed in the center. The twig will burn out during the firing process to leave the hole in the middle of the bead. These moulds containing the glass powder are then fired in an open kiln. After firing, the beads are quickly flicked out of the moulds. When cool, the beads are scrubbed clean in water. Decoration, in the form of more glass powder painted on with a paintbrush, is applied. The beads are refired between each decoration or color that is added to them. Watch this process through a slideshow of how these Krobo beads are made available online at The Ananse Village Fair Trade Federation's Online Shop.

You can view another Ashanti Krobo Bead Making Studio in Ghana at the link provided and purchase bead directly from the artisan, Mr. Asumado.

Akawelle (taken from the words AKA and We'lle, meaning love) is the project of 16-year-old Liberian, Lovetta Conto. Taken in by Strongheart House, Lovett created the project of making jewelry from melted bullet shells.

The jewelry is handcrafted and profits go towards the construction of a new "Strongheart House" in Liberia that will serve as a home and place of learning & encouragement for displaced or orphaned Liberians.

In 1866, 15-year-old Erasmus Jacob discovered South Africa's first diamond on a farm in Cape Province. This was the Eureka Diamond, later to be displayed at the Paris World's Fair. Previously, India had produced the bulk of the world's mined diamonds. South Africa today maintains its title as one of the world's main diamond producers. The Kimberley Mines produced 95% of the world's diamonds - Kimberley has now mutated into De Beers Consolidated Mines. Cecil John Rhodes was the founder of De Beers, a staunch proponent of British Imperialism and Colonialism and eventually created the now defunct state of Rhodesia (currently Zambia and Zimbabwe). Indeed, South Africa is known for producing some of the world's most famous diamonds:

• The Cullinan Diamond (3,106 carats)


• The Excelsior Diamond (995 carats)


• The Golden Jubilee Diamond (755 carats)


• The Centenary Diamond (599 carats)


• The Victoria Diamond (469 carats)

The South African Gold Rush began not long after the diamond rush and established Johannesburg: gold was discovered there in 1886. 1/2 South Africans are still reliant on the gold industry in one way or the other. Mining for gold in South Africa is very expensive however, as the mines are so deep. Some of the more famous South African Gold Mines include: The East Rand Mine, The Freegold Mine and Driefontein Consolidated. In 1970, South Africa produced more than 70% of the non-communist world's gold.

According to GemSelect, Africa is gaining ground in the gemstone world as more than just a producer of diamonds. The Neoproterozoic Mozambique belt stretches from Namibia in Africa's SouthWest to the island of Madagascar. This land (including: Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and Madagascar). Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar are currently the most important colored gem-stone producers in the African continent. Nigeria (outside of the Mozambique belt on the central West Coast) is producing good Blue Sapphire currently.

Madagascar is believed to have one of the most extensive untapped gemstone resources in the world. The first discovery of gemstones on this island happened only recently: sapphire deposits were found in 1998 and ruby was found in 2000.

• Madagascar - Ruby, Sapphire, Aquamarine, Tourmaline, Andalusite, Apatite, Citrine, Iolite, Kyanite, Chrysoberyl


• Namibia - Spessartite Garnet


• Mozambique - Paraiba Tourmaline, Spessartite, Red Garnet


• Nigeria - Blue Sapphire, Pyrope, Almandine Garnet


• Tanzania - Tanzanite, Rhodolite, Spinel, Tsavorite Garnet, Zircon

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