Mali Silver Beads 12-14 mm

A strand of 100 silver coin metal Mali squashed bicone beads strung on string which measures approx. 36″. The beads are approx. 12-14 mm. Please note that these beads are made by hand out of recycled metal and will vary in shape and size within the strand. The string you will receive will be similar to the one you see in the photo but might have some variations.

These beads were found by Hidir, Trader at the  Koforidua Market in Ghana for Funky Frog. He says these silver beads are getting harder to find. Doing some research a prevalent message is that in recent years, these beads are becoming more difficult to find as the human rights situation in Mali has significantly deteriorated, as attacks against civilians by Islamist armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) and large-scale abusive counter terrorism operations by Malian armed forces and associated foreign fighters surged. The violence exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis, with 8.8 million people requiring assistance and over 575,000 forced from their homes, including 375,000 internally displaced people and 205,000 refugees in neighboring countries as of August 2023. This forces many of the traditional artisans to leave the villages in pursuit of new opportunities. It makes these beads quite precious.