Large Repaired Rare Kiffa Bead Cylinder Heavily worn from constant prayer

Heavily worn from constant prayer rubbing during the past 70+ years

Center bead is 28mm square

36-39mm in diameter x 14mm thick (hollow) with 7-9mm loop for stringing

Here we have an odd bird of a Tuareg hair ring

47mm diameter with a slight 6mm raised bump in the center of the shield

Large Repaired Rare Kiffa Bead Cylinder Heavily worn from constant prayerThis very cool and magical bead was made in Kiffa, Mauritania. It is very old and was made as a female fertility charm, mainly by women artists. Historically, Kiffa beads are very important as its ancient technique (dating to 1000 years ago) made it one of the oldest glass bead making processes in Africa, which was purely African in origin. This bead is around 200 years old, possibly older, and it has been enhanced sometime in the early 1900s (the