Kazakh Artistry - Afghanistan
Here we have a unique and rare collection of 21 hand-beaten Kazakh tribal brass and silver beads – featuring their traditional and decorative raised filigree designs.
The hollow beads measure 14x16mm and were hand-made by the traditional nomadic Sunni Muslim people known as Kazakhs, originally from the Ural Mountains in Kazakhstan.
There’s no question these metal beads can be used to create stunning ethnic or tribal jewellery – whether it be a pair of earrings, a necklace, bangles or your very own statement jewellery.
They are hollow and have been decorated with intricate silver wire work and open frame circles – plus their familiar trademark called ‘false granulation’ – which depict triangular imprints.
Their style is often mistaken for Turkoman craftsmanship – which is actually, quite different, because their beads do not contain the ‘False Granulation’ like the Kazakh’s.
The nomads are also called Kuchi Kazakh with numbers these days close to three million and mainly settled in the northern regions of Afghanistan.
Crude in texture, each bead is individually hand-made in the Kazakh style and have become an important currency when trading for goods.
The beads in this collection weigh approximately 40 grams – and cost $3.00 each.
All our ethnic Kazakh Brass and Silver Beads contain a decent 2mm top-drill hole which is suitable for threading with round leather, tigertail or craftline (similar to fishing line).
Please note, the accompanying images may have been enlarged to show detail, while colours may vary slightly due to lighting variants.
Also bear in mind these beads are not new, and because they are hand-made, many contain small imperfections.