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South African Culture: Bead Jewelry

South African Township Jewelry

These striking bracelets, earrings, necklaces and keyrings are hand made by women in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa.

Each design can be made in the colors of your national team, company logo or indeed any design you prefer.

Red and white for England, green and white for Ireland, yellow and blue for Brazil.

Buy South African bead work here

The project is part of an initiative by Foreign Fields whereby unmarried mothers from the townships with no income can make embroidery and African beadwork for sale overseas.

Each piece is lovingly and painstakingly made using traditional techniques.

Traditional African beadwork has a long history but has essentially died out since the 1960s. Traditional beadwork was made as a symbol of love from a woman to her man and . The beads were introduced to Africa by European and Arab traders in the 19th century and the beads were enthusiastically incorporated by African tribes into their material cultures.

The colors, patterns and shapes of traditional African beadwork were used to express the wearer's status - whether married or single, a parent or single etc.

The broaches are strung on to large safety pins which can easily be attached to a shirt, jacket or coat.

The necklaces can be made long and flowing or tight like a traditional African collar design. The earrings come in a triangular design with a loop for the the key-rings.

If you are interested in retail or wholesale of these African beadwork pieces please contact us for further details.

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