Mali Clay Spindle #1

A gorgeous old clay bead 21 x 28 mm with a carved circle designs that are brushed with a brick colour…  … i just love this bead! As you can see it was fun photographing .. It is one of those beads that would look so great just as a handful in a bowl…   Please note that these beads were handmade so each bead varies. You will receive one that is similar to the ones in the photo.

There are three sizes of this bead as you can see in the last photo, this is the large size and click here to see the Medium sized beads and click here for the Small sized beads.

My affection for these beads grew when I heard that these ‘Spindles’ actually evolved into the beads they are today because of our avid collectioner’s heart (all Beaders have one of those!) Originally these Spindles were actually made to spin cotton but then people started collecting them because they were so beautiful. They became rare .. so some enterprising people started making new ones but more as the beads they are today… They are so beautiful and evoke the country, Africa just by handling them and by the fact they are made of Africa’s earth.