89 items
Fashion Accessories
A handmade drop earring built from coffee brown buttons and a large gold tone hoop, with a second smaller button hanging inside the ring. If you want the scale of a statement hoop without a bright colour, this is the pair to reach for. Brown reads as a neutral against tan, cream, denim and black, where this maker's fuchsia rose pair and orange amber pair are deliberately loud. Pick those when you want the colour to do the talking, and this one when you want the shape to. Construction: a four hole button sits at the ear as the stud, a jump ring carries the gold tone hoop, and a second button, brown with a pale rim, hangs inside the hoop so it swings clear of the ring. About 7cm long from the top of the stud. Care: put them on after perfume and hairspray, keep them dry, and store them flat on the card they arrive on.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
Handmade waist beads in cream glass seed beads, on one long strand with orange, teal and pink butterfly charms and a gold tone screw clasp. The seed beads have a soft pearly sheen, so the strand sits quietly against the skin, and the three small butterflies add just enough colour to catch the eye. It is a simple everyday strand rather than a statement piece, easy to wear on its own or alongside other waist beads. The maker gives the length as 100cm. It fastens with a small screw clasp at one length rather than a tie, so measure round the point where you will wear it before ordering. Made by hand in Kenya. Take it off before swimming or bathing, and undo the clasp gently rather than pulling on the strand.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A wide, flat collar necklace netted by hand from white seed beads, crossed with diagonal stripes of gold coloured beads and fastened with a gold tone clasp. The beads are worked into an open lattice, so the collar lies flat around the base of the neck and lets a little skin show through the net. The gold stripes run the whole way round at an angle, which gives the piece movement without adding colour. White and gold go with almost anything, so this is the collar for a wedding, a celebration or a plain dark dress that needs one strong piece. The maker gives it as about 40cm long and 1.5cm wide. It closes with a lobster clasp between two gold tone ball ends. If you prefer a rounded rope to a flat collar, the Pearl Twist necklaces from the same maker are the other shape to look at. Care: keep it dry, store it flat so the net keeps its shape, and wipe it gently with a soft cloth.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A handmade matching set in the colours of the Kenyan flag: a red, green, black and white pearl twist necklace and a pair of round beaded flower earrings. Made for Jamhuri Day, Madaraka Day, a Kenyan wedding or a gift for someone far from home. Fahari is the Swahili word for pride. The necklace winds bands of red, green and black pearl beads around a rope, each edged with small white beads the way the flag edges its colours in white, and fastens with a silver tone lobster clasp. The earrings are white beaded flowers ringed in black, with red and green loops around a faceted silver bead at the centre, on silver tone fish hooks. The first photograph shows both pieces together on a plain background. The necklace is also sold on its own as the Fahari Twist Necklace. Care: keep both pieces dry and away from perfume, and store the necklace laid flat or loosely coiled so the spiral keeps its shape.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A chunky Maasai beaded bangle, glass seed beads wound solidly around a rigid core. You receive one bangle in the colour you choose from the picker. The photographs show the white one, its surface broken by narrow multicolour accent bands, and the same design is made in red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. The beads go right around with no clasp or opening, so it slips over the hand and sits with a pleasing weight; the maker gives the size as 20 cm around, so check it against a bangle you already own. Wear one on its own or stack colours, which is how they are worn in Kenya. Made by hand in Kenya. Wipe with a dry cloth and keep perfume off the beads.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Crafts
A pair of teardrop wooden earrings, each face hand drawn with a band of African geometric pattern and hung from a small white faceted bead. Light enough for all day wear. The pattern is worked freehand across the lower half of each drop, rows of circles, arcs and dashes, so the two earrings in a pair sit close but never match exactly and no two pairs are the same. The wood keeps its grain under a warm reddish finish. Each drop hangs from a wire wrapped loop on a silver tone fish hook. Handmade in Kenya. Keep them dry and wipe with a soft cloth.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Handmade beaded earrings worked as an interwoven triangular knot in black and gold seed beads, on gold tone hooks. The knot is the point of them. Three loops pass over and under each other so the bands appear to weave through, which gives the piece real depth at a size that stays small and light. It is a harder thing to bead than a flat panel, and it shows. Zuri means beautiful in Swahili. At 2.5cm square these are the everyday pair in the range rather than a statement, the ones that go on without thought and still look considered. The maker gives the size as 2.5 by 2.5cm. Every bead is threaded by hand, so the two knots sit slightly differently and neither will match the photographs exactly. Keep them away from perfume, and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A wide handmade collar necklace in white and gold seed beads, netted into an open diamond lattice that fans out from the neckline over the collarbone and shoulders. It suits a bride, a wedding guest or anyone who wants one statement piece over a plain neckline. The neckline is worked in close rows of white with a fine gold line running through them. From there the beadwork opens into a lattice of white diamonds, with a single gold bead at every crossing and a gold drop at each point of the lower edge, so the collar catches the light as it moves. It fastens at the back with a silver tone lobster clasp and a short extender chain, which you can see in the first photograph, so it can sit a little higher or lower on the neck. The maker gives the neckline as 36cm around and the outer edge as 90cm around. Amani is the Swahili word for peace, a quiet echo of the store's own name: mulembe means peace in Lubukusu. Care: store it flat so the lattice keeps its shape, and keep it away from perfume and water.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A handmade drop earring with an off white button at the ear, a large gold tone hoop, and a clear resin disc set with gold domes hanging inside it. This is the quiet one in the range. The resin disc and the gold studs give it a finish closer to bought jewellery than to craft, so the button idea reads as a detail rather than the whole statement. Off white sits against anything, where the fuchsia, orange and red pairs in this shop are chosen for their colour. Construction: a four hole off white button forms the stud, a jump ring carries the gold tone hoop, and a round clear resin disc studded with gold domes hangs inside the hoop. About 7cm long from the top of the stud. Care: put them on after perfume and hairspray, keep them dry, and store them flat on the card they arrive on.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
A wide brass cuff built from dozens of fine wires looped onto a single frame, so it wears like a stack of thin bangles but slides on as one piece. A real stack of that many bangles slips, rattles and takes a minute to get on, and this gives you the same armful of gold colour without the noise. A matching domed brass ring comes with it. The wires are drawn, shaped and joined by hand in East Africa, so the spacing varies very slightly along the cuff and no two are identical. The back is open, so you can ease it a little wider or narrower to sit where you want on the wrist. Keep it dry, and bring the shine back with a soft cloth.
Sold by NICKÉ JEWELRY • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Six handmade beaded bracelets from Ghana, each in its own pattern. Each bracelet is a firm, round tube of small beads stitched closely together. There is no clasp, so each one slips over the hand. The patterns run from simple orange and yellow stripes to blocks of red, white, green and yellow, bright chevrons, and turquoise grounds dotted with tiny bead flowers. Wear one on its own, stack all six on one wrist, or split the set between friends as gifts. They are made by Ancient Culture, a Ghanaian artisan partner of Unite Root Africa in Nsawam. The set is assorted. The maker works with the beads on hand, so the six you receive will be in the same style as the photographs but not necessarily the same six patterns.
Sold by Unite Root Africa • Ghana
Fashion Accessories
A handmade beaded bangle worked in black seed beads, with gold beadwork laid over it in a repeating leaf pattern and small faceted stones set into each one. It is the quiet one in this maker's range. The black ground keeps it wearable with almost anything, and the gold does the work, so it reads as jewellery rather than as craft, which is not true of every beaded bracelet. The bangle is closed rather than fastened, so it slides over the hand and there is no clasp to catch or fail. Dhahabu is the Swahili word for gold. The maker gives the diameter as 7cm. Every bead is threaded by hand, so the pattern will sit slightly differently on each one. Keep it away from perfume and lotion, which dull the gold finish, and store it apart from harder jewellery that can chip the stones.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Drop earrings made from a large pink four hole button, with a small pink heart and a green cactus charm hanging below it on a silver tone ring. This is the only pair in the collection that moves. Everything else in the EHC line sits flat against the ear, so if you want the maker's idea with some swing in it, this is the pair. It is also the most openly funny one, which matters if you are buying it as a small gift rather than for yourself. The button is a proper coat button with all four stitch holes showing, and the charm hangs from a jump ring through its bottom edge, so the cactus turns and catches the light as you move. The post is fixed to the back of the button. Keep them dry and store them flat so the charm does not tangle.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
Stud earrings made from small dished wooden buttons with a faceted stone set into the well of each one, sold as one pair in yellow or pink. The setting is what separates these from the plain button studs in the same collection. The button is deep enough to hold the stone the way a ring holds one, so the finished earring reads as a small vintage brooch rather than as a button with a gem stuck on the front. The buttons are hand painted and the finish is glossy, so both the yellow and the pink sit closer to a sweet shop colour than to a wood tone. The stone sits down in the hollow rather than proud of the face, so there is nothing to catch on a scarf. The post is fixed to the back of the button, so nothing shows from the front. Keep them dry. Wood and water do not agree, so take them off before washing your face.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
Beaded drop earrings built as a half flower: four padded petals in black, red, green and white around a coiled gold tone centre, edged bead by bead in gold and hung from a gold tone hook. Of the beadwork in this shop, this is the pair that says Kenya at a glance. The four petal colours are the four colours of the Kenyan flag and they are laid out plainly, so the piece is read across a room rather than explained up close. If you want that, this is the pair. If you would rather the colours were there without announcing themselves, the Infinity knot pair from the same maker sets the same colours into a knot that reads as a graphic shape first. Each petal is worked over a form so it sits domed rather than flat, with a raised line of gold beads down the spine and a picot edge of single gold beads all the way round. That edge is the slow part, added one bead at a time after the petal is finished. The beads are the small glass seed beads sold across Kenya as Maasai beads, which is the maker's own term for them. The flower pattern is the maker's own, not a traditional motif. Keep them dry, take them off before swimming, and store them flat so the petals keep their shape.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A handmade earring built on an orange button, with a large gold tone hoop below it and a faceted amber drop hanging inside the hoop. These earrings belong to EHC, The Earring That Heard The Conversation. The buttons once held clothes together and now sit by the ear, listening in. That is the whole idea of the piece, something ordinary moved to where it can be noticed. This is the one to pick if you want size. The hoop is wide enough to sit clear of the jaw and the amber drop swings inside it as you move, so the earring keeps catching the light instead of hanging still. Orange and gold against plain black or white is the easiest way to wear it. About 7cm long including the hoop. Made by hand in Ibadan, Nigeria. Keep it away from perfume and water, and store it flat.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
A handmade drop earring built on a fuchsia pink button, with a pale pink rose and small green leaves hanging below it on gold tone wire. These earrings belong to EHC, The Earring That Heard The Conversation. The buttons once held clothes together and now sit by the ear, listening in. That is the whole idea of the piece, something ordinary moved to where it can be noticed. If you want a piece that reads as flowers first and jewellery second, this is the one to pick. The roses are translucent, so they catch the light rather than block it, and the green leaves keep the pink from going sugary. Wear it against a plain colour and let it be the only thing going on. About 6.5cm long. Made by hand in Ibadan, Nigeria. Keep it away from perfume and water, and store it flat.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
A five piece Maasai beaded set in navy blue. One multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and a pair of drop earrings, strung by hand in Kiambu. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Navy is the one you can wear to work. The rest of this range is built to be seen from across a room, which is exactly right for a wedding and exactly wrong for a Tuesday. Navy does the opposite. It reads as jewellery rather than as an occasion, so it sits with a suit, a plain shirt or a dark dress without announcing itself before you do. It is also the easiest piece in the range to wear if you are new to beadwork. Navy sits close enough to black that the shape and the scale register before the colour does, so a collar this size stops feeling like a leap and starts feeling like a good necklace. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beadwork in the same order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set rather than five things that happen to match. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu. Every strand is counted out bead by bead rather than measured, so the beadwork shifts a little from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
Sold by GLOBAL HANDMADE • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A three piece beaded set in red and black: a multi strand collar necklace with a beaded flower at the centre front, a matching bracelet and drop earrings. The necklace is built from several bead wrapped strands gathered into gold tone caps and fastened at the back with a clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it higher on the collarbone or let it drop. At the centre front sits a five petal beaded flower worked in red and black, which is what makes this read as a designed piece rather than a plain collar. The bracelet is built the same way, several bead wrapped strands bound into shared gold tone caps with a hook fastening, and the earrings carry the same red and black banding, so the three pieces read as one thought rather than three accessories that happen to match. Red is the loudest thing you can put against plain black, white or cream, and this set is meant to be the one strong idea in an outfit rather than one of five small ones. It suits a wedding, a naming ceremony, church, or a shoot. If you would rather the jewellery sat back a little, the black and multicolour set in this shop does the same job more quietly. Every strand is strung by hand, so bead placement and the exact fall of the strands vary a little from set to set. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box so the strands do not tangle. Wipe with a dry soft cloth.
Sold by GLOBAL HANDMADE • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A brass wire ear cuff set with eight natural cowrie shells. The shells fan out around the outer curve of the ear like a small sunburst, each one bound onto a frame of brass wire that is coiled by hand along its whole length and finished with a curl or spiral at each end. It sits around the ear rather than through a piercing, so it pairs easily with the studs or hoops you already wear. The maker gives the size as 5cm. Care: brass darkens naturally over time, and a soft dry cloth brings back the shine. Keep it dry and store it flat so the frame holds its shape.
Sold by AfroGlam Jewels • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A multi strand Maasai style bead necklace that cascades from collar to chest. More than fifteen strands of glass seed beads in red, yellow, orange, blue, green, black and white are gathered into two flat woven bands, with a centre column of large diamond shaped beads running down the middle and silver tone chains and disc drops swinging along the lower strands. It fastens with small metal hooks at the ends of the woven bands. This is a statement piece for weddings, cultural celebrations, stage and photography, worn over a plain neckline so the beadwork does the talking. It is the boldest piece in this maker's range: if you want the same colours in a quieter form, the shop's beaded cuff bracelets carry them in a single band. Wipe with a dry cloth and store flat or hung so the strands do not tangle.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A handmade matching set: a pink and white pearl twist necklace and a pair of pink and white beaded flower earrings, both beaded by hand in Kenya. Made for a bridesmaid, a birthday or anyone who wants a finished pink look in one buy. The necklace is a rope of white pearl beads wrapped in bright pink seed beads that spiral all the way round it, fastened with a silver tone lobster clasp and a short extender chain. The earrings are Waridi flowers, Swahili for rose, with white petals looped in pink around a pink pearl bead, on silver tone fish hooks. The first photograph shows both pieces together on a plain background. Both pieces are also sold on their own, as the Pearl Twist Necklace in pink and white and the Waridi Beaded Flower Earrings, if you only want one. Care: keep both pieces dry and away from perfume, and store the necklace laid flat or loosely coiled so the spiral keeps its shape.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A necklace of handmade cream Krobo glass beads on a tied cotton cord. The beads are barrel shaped, about 2cm each, with a short looped drop of matching beads at the centre front, and the strand is about 60cm long. In plain cream it goes with almost anything, and the soft matte finish lets the handmade texture of every bead show. Krobo beadmaking is one of Ghana's celebrated bead making traditions: artisans turn glass into beads through a painstaking process of crushing, moulding, firing, shaping and polishing, so subtle differences between individual beads are part of their character. It suits everyday wear and cultural occasions alike, for men or women. If you would rather have colour, the same maker's Krobo glass bead bracelet comes in yellow, green or red. Wipe clean with a dry cloth and keep away from perfumes and sprays.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Fashion Accessories
A handmade Krobo glass bead necklace in yellow with patterned tube beads. Strung by hand in Ghana, it alternates bright yellow glass discs with patterned tube beads in red, blue, green and white, and ties with a soft cotton cord. The beads are made the Krobo way, from recycled glass ground to powder, moulded and fired, then patterned and fired again, which is why no two beads are ever quite alike. At about 60 cm it sits low on the chest and holds its own over a plain shirt or a kaftan. If you prefer something quieter, the shop's cream Krobo necklace is the softer choice, and the glass bead bracelet shown looped around this necklace is sold separately in the shop.
Sold by GOLDEN HERITAGE AFRICA GALLERY • Cape Coast
Fashion Accessories
Large stud earrings made from painted wooden buttons, on gold tone posts with butterfly backs. Choose one pair in pink, mint green or beige. The price is for one pair. They are the size of a real coat button, which is the whole point of them, and they weigh almost nothing, so you get the scale of a statement earring without the drag on the earlobe that usually comes with it. All three colourways are soft rather than bright, so they sit on top of a printed shirt without arguing with it. These are wooden buttons, hand painted, so the four stitch holes are still there and the grain still shows through the paint at the rim. The post is fixed to the back of the button rather than through a hole, so nothing shows from the front. The second photograph shows the three pairs loose, including one turned over, which is the best look at the fitting and at the true size. Keep them dry. Wood and water do not agree, so take them off before washing your face.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
Beaded drop earrings in the shape of a continuous knot: three beaded loops in red, black and green crossing over and under each other into a soft triangle, with a single white bead at each of the three crossings and a gold tone hook above. These are the quieter of this maker's flag pieces. The eye reads the knot first and the colours second, so they carry Kenya without turning an outfit into a statement about it, and they work just as well with black, denim or grey as with something bright. If you want the colours read immediately instead, the Half Flower pair from the same maker lays them out petal by petal. Each loop is threaded on a core that holds its curve, which is what lets the knot keep its shape in the air instead of collapsing flat, and the beads are packed tightly enough that no thread shows on the outside of the bend. The small white beads are not decoration: they sit exactly where the loops pass each other and mark the three crossings. The beads are the small glass seed beads sold across Kenya as Maasai beads, which is the maker's own term. They are very light for their size, so they hang well in a soft ear. Keep them dry and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A five piece Maasai beaded set in bright yellow, with red sawtooth points and bands of white, turquoise and orange. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one three strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Yellow is the colour the human eye finds first. That is not a marketing line, it is the reason safety equipment everywhere is that shade. Worn at this scale it means you are what people see when they walk into a room, and what stands out in the group photograph afterwards. So this is a celebration piece rather than an everyday one. A wedding, a graduation, a naming ceremony, Easter, a launch, anywhere being noticed is the point rather than the risk. If you want beadwork that goes quietly about its business, look at the black or the navy sets instead. The points are worked in red against the yellow, with bands of white, turquoise and orange inside them and black separating each one. Red on yellow is the highest contrast pairing in the whole range, which is why this set still holds its shape at a distance where softer colours blur into one another. Wear it over white, cream, black or denim. Yellow needs space around it, so keep everything else plain and let the set do the work. The necklace is worked in three beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Bright yellow shows marks more readily than a dark ground, so put the set on last and take it off first. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
Sold by GLOBAL HANDMADE • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Handmade flower earrings in black and gold seed beads, built up in raised loops around a round gold bead at the centre, on gold tone fish hook ear wires. A bold, warm pair for evening wear or a black outfit that wants one bright detail. Dhahabu is the Swahili word for gold. The black beads give the flower its body and the translucent gold beads are looped over them in short rows, so the thread shows through the gold and the flower catches the light from every side. The first photograph is a single earring, close enough to see the beadwork as it really is. If you want something softer, the maker's Neema flower earrings come in white and silver. Care: keep them dry and away from perfume, and store them so the loops are not crushed.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Handmade beaded drop earrings in a pointed leaf shape, worked in white seed beads with a gold beaded outline and a gold line tracing the shape again inside, on plated hooks. Zuri means beautiful in Swahili, and these are the restrained pair in the range. There is no stone and no pattern, just two colours and a shape, which is why they carry from daytime to evening better than the flower pairs do. The drop is open at the centre rather than filled, so they are light on the ear and they move when you do. White and gold sits against almost anything, and it is the safer of the two colourways if most of your wardrobe is already busy. If your wardrobe runs dark, the black and gold Zuri is the better buy of the two. The maker gives the drop as 6cm by 3cm. Every bead is threaded by hand, so the two earrings differ a little from each other. Keep them away from perfume, and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Round beaded flower earrings from Kenya, about 4cm across, worked bead by bead in the black, red, green and white of the flag around a faceted silver centre. Amani is the Swahili word for peace, and the shop is called Mulembe beads, which is the same word in Lubukusu. The maker calls the design peony inspired: green arcs curl out from the centre stone like petals on a white ground, with red arcs around them and a ring of black beads holding the edge. These are the boldest of the flag pieces in this shop. The face is solid rather than open, so the colours read from across a room, and at about 4cm across they are a statement pair that sits best against a plain top. If you would rather the colours were quieter, the Infinity Knot pair from the same maker sets them into a knot shape, and the star shaped Beaded Flower pair is open lacework you can see through. The beads are the small glass seed beads sold across Kenya as Maasai beads, which is the maker's own term for them. The green ones are translucent and the white and black are opaque, so the pattern shifts as the light moves, and the centre stone sits in a ring of gold tone beads. They hang from plain silver tone hooks. Keep them dry, put them on after perfume or lotion, and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A three piece beaded set in black, banded with red, orange, green, blue and white: a multi strand collar necklace, a matching bracelet and a pair of drop earrings. Black does something the brighter sets do not. It reads as jewellery rather than as costume, which means this one earns its place on an ordinary Tuesday as well as at a wedding. Wear all three pieces together when you want the full effect, or wear the bracelet and earrings on their own with a plain shirt and nobody would call it a lot. The colour sits in blocks against the black rather than running the whole way round, so the set has somewhere for the eye to land. The necklace fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it higher on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelet is built the same way, several bead wrapped strands bound into shared gold tone caps, and the earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order. Every strand is strung by hand, so the spacing of the colour bands varies slightly from set to set. Care: take the set off before perfume, lotion or water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Lay the necklace flat or hang it rather than folding it into a box, so the strands do not tangle. A dry soft cloth is all it needs.
Sold by GLOBAL HANDMADE • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A two piece set in blue: a large four hole button pendant on a fine waxed cord necklace, with a pair of small translucent jelly button studs to wear alongside it. This is the see through version of the maker's button jewellery. The studs are translucent and pick up whatever you are wearing behind them, while the pendant button is solid and opaque, so the two pieces sit together without reading as a matched gift box set. It is also the only set in this run that gives you a necklace and earrings rather than earrings alone. The pendant hangs from a gold tone ring through one edge of the button, so it sits slightly off centre and swings. The cord fastens with a lobster clasp and carries an extender chain, so it can be worn close at the throat or dropped lower. The second photograph shows the necklace laid out flat with a stud beside it. Keep the cord dry and take the set off before swimming.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
A handmade brass ankh pendant on a black cord necklace. The ankh hangs from a small brass ring beneath a neat wrapped knot, and two sliding knots at the back let you raise or lower it, so it can sit at the collarbone or lower on the chest. The maker gives the length as 30cm, adjustable. Each pendant is finished by hand: photos 1 and 2 show a hammered surface that catches the light, photo 3 a smoother one. Care: brass darkens naturally over time; rub it with a soft dry cloth to bring back the shine, and keep the cord dry.
Sold by AfroGlam Jewels • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Handmade beaded drop earrings in a pointed leaf shape, worked in black seed beads with a gold beaded outline and a gold line tracing the shape again inside, on plated hooks. Zuri means beautiful in Swahili. This is the evening half of the pair of colourways: black and gold does the same job as the white version but reads sharper against a dark outfit, where white can disappear. The drop is open at the centre rather than filled, so they stay light on the ear and move as you do. Black and gold is also the more forgiving colourway if you wear a lot of print, because it holds its own without competing. If most of what you wear is pale, the white and gold Zuri is the one to look at instead. The maker gives the drop as 6cm by 3cm. Every bead is threaded by hand, so the two earrings differ a little from each other. Keep them away from perfume, and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Handmade beaded flower earrings in white and gold seed beads, built up into a full rounded bloom with a single amber faceted stone at the centre, on gold plated hooks. These are the dressed up pair in this maker's range. White and gold reads as wedding and occasion rather than everyday, and the stone at the centre gives them a focal point that the flat beaded pairs do not have. The flower is worked in the round rather than flat, so it sits proud of the ear and catches light from the side as well as the front. Neema means grace in Swahili. The maker gives the flower as 3.5cm across. The hook sits above that. Every bead is threaded by hand, so no two flowers pack quite the same way and the pair will differ slightly from each other, which is how you know they were made rather than moulded. Keep them away from perfume, and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
A five piece Maasai beaded set on lilac purple, with yellow sawtooth points and bands of orange, green, turquoise and yellow. Necklace, three bracelets and earrings. Includes one multi strand collar necklace, three matching bracelets and one pair of drop earrings. Purple is close to unheard of in this kind of beadwork, and lilac more so. The traditional palette runs to red, blue, green, white and black, so a pastel ground like this is a modern choice rather than an old one. That is the reason to buy it. Almost nobody else will be wearing one. It behaves differently from the rest of the range too. Every other set puts bright colour on a strong ground, so the whole piece pushes forward at you. Lilac pulls the other way. The bands still carry orange, green and turquoise, but they sit on something gentle, so this reads as decorative rather than as a statement you have to commit to for the whole evening. The points are picked out in yellow here rather than black, which is unusual. Most of the beadwork in this range uses black to cut the ground. This one uses yellow, so the sawtooth reads as a warm flare instead of a hard edge. It sits well with white, cream, grey, denim and the softer summer colours. Against hard black it loses the point of itself. The necklace is worked in multiple beaded strands and fastens at the back with a gold tone clasp and a short extender chain, so you can set it high on the collarbone or let it drop. The bracelets and earrings carry the same beads in the same colour order, which is what makes five separate pieces read as one set. Wear the necklace with a single bracelet for everyday, or all five pieces when you want the full effect. Strung and bound by hand in Kiambu, so the spacing of the points and the colour bands varies slightly from set to set and from the photographs. Care: keep away from perfume, lotion and water, all of which dull the beads and weaken the cord. Pale grounds mark more easily than dark ones, so put the set on last and take it off first. Store the necklace flat or hanging rather than folded into a box, and wipe with a dry soft cloth after wearing.
Sold by GLOBAL HANDMADE • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Handmade beaded flower earrings in white seed beads, with gold beaded stamens radiating from a faceted gold centre, on gold tone hooks. Nuru means light in Swahili, and these are the brightest thing in the range. The petals are beaded solid while the gold runs out between them in fine lines, so the flower reads clearly from across a room rather than turning into a blur. White and gold is wedding and occasion territory. If you want the same flower in the Kenyan flag colours, the other Nuru Bloom pair is beaded in red, green, black and white. The maker gives the flower as 4cm across. Every bead is threaded by hand, so the two flowers differ a little from each other. Keep them away from perfume, and store them flat.
Sold by Mulembe beads • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Flat wooden button stud earrings with two stitch holes, sold as one pair in pink, yellow or a natural animal print. These are the flattest earrings in the collection. The buttons have no raised rim, so they lie almost level against the ear, which makes them the pair to reach for when you want the width of a statement stud without anything standing proud of your face. The animal print pair is the one that goes with everything, because it is a wood tone first and a pattern second. They are cut from wood, so the grain shows at the cut edge and no two faces take the paint quite the same way. The markings on the natural pair are irregular rather than machine even, so the two earrings in that pair are close but not identical. The post is fixed to the back of the button, so nothing shows from the front. Keep them dry. Wood and water do not agree, so take them off before washing your face.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
Faceted crystal effect button stud earrings on clear plastic posts, sold as one pair in fuchsia pink, teal green or baby pink. From a step away these read as cut stones. Up close you can see they are buttons, and that gap between the two is the whole idea of the collection. Every other pair in the line has a flat or painted face, so if you want the maker's joke in a version that catches the light, this is the one to pick. The faces are moulded with real facets rather than printed to look faceted, so they throw light the way glass does. The posts and butterfly backs are clear plastic rather than metal. The second photograph shows all six loose, including one turned over, which is the best look at the fitting and at the true size. Wipe with a dry cloth and keep them out of hot water.
Sold by LEŌN & CISCA • Ibadan
Fashion Accessories
A blue beaded tassel necklace with a round polished disc at the front. A rigid collar, tightly wrapped in royal blue, closes at the back with a gold tone hook between two cone end caps. From the front of the collar hangs a round disc in cream, honey and dark brown tones, its rim stitched through with fine wire, and from the disc falls a long tassel of loose blue bead strands with a narrower band of red, gold and amber strands down the middle. The colour and movement make it a statement piece for festivals, cultural occasions and evenings out, and it sits best over a plain top or dress. Made from beads, thread and decorative cord. Store it flat or hanging so the strands do not tangle, and keep it away from water and perfume.
Sold by Tribal Shop • Kenya
Fashion Accessories
Bold, wavy statement earrings handmade from polymer clay. Each earring is one rope of clay looped into flowing curves, so the pair makes a playful, artistic shape that stands out without trying too hard. The maker shapes every pair by hand and finishes it with stainless steel findings they describe as hypoallergenic, which keeps a big earring light and comfortable. Because each pair is made by hand, no two are exactly the same. Choose from pink, yellow, mint green, golden yellow or orange. The photograph shows the pink pair; the other colours are the same design and are not pictured. Size: 7cm, as measured by the maker. Material: polymer clay with stainless steel findings. Handmade in Nigeria.
Sold by Sylviora Clay Jewelry • Nigeria
Guide d'achat
Les bijoux proposés ici viennent de traditions distinctes, pas d'un style africain générique. Les perles maasaï du Kenya construisent la couleur et le motif à partir d'une perle centrale, et chaque couleur y porte un sens. Les manchettes et les bagues en laiton sont martelées et façonnées à la main. Les cauris, autrefois monnaie dans une grande partie de l'Afrique de l'Ouest, symbolisent toujours la richesse et la protection, et ornent manchettes, colliers et perles de taille.
Beaucoup de pièces sont vendues en parure : collier, bracelets et boucles d'oreilles perlés selon le même motif. Les parures offrent le meilleur rapport qualité-prix et font les cadeaux les plus simples, puisqu'il n'y a rien à assortir ensuite. Les pièces fortes vendues seules, une manchette en laiton ou un pendentif en cauri, prennent tout leur sens si vous possédez déjà des bijoux autour desquels les associer.
Les perles sont enfilées à la main : de petites variations dans leur placement sont la marque du travail manuel, pas un défaut. Le laiton fonce avec le temps ; un léger polissage lui rend son éclat si vous le préférez brillant, et beaucoup préfèrent sa patine.
Questions fréquentes
Sokofa (sokofa.com) vend des bijoux africains faits main par des artisans indépendants, en grande partie des perles maasaï et du laiton du Kenya. Chaque annonce indique le nom de l'artisan, les commandes sont expédiées dans le monde entier, y compris partout au Royaume-Uni, et le coût de livraison pour votre adresse s'affiche au moment du paiement, avant que vous ne payiez.
Les significations varient selon les communautés, mais les lectures courantes sont le rouge pour la bravoure et l'unité, le bleu pour le ciel et l'eau, le vert pour la terre, le blanc pour la paix et la pureté, et le noir pour le peuple et les épreuves qu'il partage. Une pièce combine généralement plusieurs couleurs au lieu de porter un seul message.
Les cauris ont servi de monnaie dans une grande partie de l'Afrique de l'Ouest pendant des siècles, et ils symbolisent toujours la richesse, la prospérité et la protection. C'est cette histoire qui fait qu'un seul cauri serti sur une manchette ou un pendentif est bien plus qu'un ornement.
Tenez les perles à l'écart du parfum et des crèmes, qui ternissent les perles et fragilisent le fil, et rangez-les à plat plutôt qu'emmêlées. Le laiton fonce naturellement en le portant ; polissez-le doucement avec un chiffon doux si vous voulez retrouver son éclat d'origine.
