In this collection, we have five 11x25mm brass fern-like brass triangular hearts - cast using the lost-wax technique and made by the Ashanti people of central Ghana.
They are incredibly beautiful and would provide potential for creativity for those artisans with a bent for creating amazing tribal or boho-inspired ethnic style or statement Jewellery such as necklaces, bracelets, leg bangles – or even a pair of quirky looking earrings.
The Ashanti and to a lesser degree the Baoule tribal people from the Ivory Coast create these beautiful brass and bronze beads using traditional lost-wax methods – the same labour-intensive metal-casting process that their forefathers used since the 3rd millennium BC.
And the results today are as stunning as they were two thousand years ago – confirming that by incorporating modern methods with ancient techniques, works exceptionally well.
The accompanying photos illustrate what to expect in your order. Please also be aware, that the beads have been enlarged to illustrate detail - while colours may vary slightly due to lighting variants.
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The Ashanti, Baoule, Krobo and Yoruba tribes are the main bead-making people of West Africa.
The main difference between the four ethnic groups, see the Krobos and Yoruba tribes specialise in bead-making with recycled glass, while the Ashanti and Baoule people prefer metal.
Lost-Wax casting is one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques in the world which date back more than 6,000 years – and the Ashanti have the technique perfected down to a veritable artform.
The bead-making process first calls for the construction of specially designed bead molds made out of waxed models - into which hot molten metal is poured.
The hot liquid causes the wax mold to melt and drain away - and in doing so the beads are formed and created after the metal sets.
A proven technique that is so simple and so clever is why the lost-wax casting process has survived for so long.
It is well used in the 21st Century particularly by the dentistry industry, who use these ancient methods to create crowns, inlays and on lays – but with modern technology.