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Comments

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  ingrid Langerak February 15, 2014 at 10:35pm

  Anybody knows more about these beautiful carved  camel bone beads. I know they are from West Africa, perhaps Tuareg beads.  Any idea what the different  decoration stand for? And are they common or rare?  any info very welcome, thank you Ingrid.
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  SARAH CORBETT February 15, 2014 at 11:17pm

  Hi these are traded from Mali, they were prevelant in Marrakech around 9 years ago, and are still available now. There are two types one pale as you show, and another which is dyed by smoke over a fire. I previously sold them for around £15 -£20 per bead for large examples.
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  ingrid Langerak February 15, 2014 at 11:28pm

  Thank you Sarah, do you know by chance what the decoration stand for?  It's about the price I paid for them.
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  SARAH CORBETT February 16, 2014 at 11:16am

  The use of the zig zag line in tuareg pieces is often said to represent crossing the sahara, the triangle often represents the goddess or fertility. I am not aware of a symbolism behind the stripes.
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  ingrid Langerak February 16, 2014 at 6:36pm

  That sound romantic Sarah, thank you.
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  Eva Baby February 17, 2014 at 3:51pm

  Nice, Ingrid! I have not seen these in Mali so far, so that is why I did not comment. Closed triangles in Tuareg symbolism mean normally a tent or a sitting woman, (= generally "home"), but These are zigzags, that is different,  they probably mean like Sarah wrote. The stripes I do not know. They are lovely, but I have not seen such in Mali yet.
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  milene rust February 17, 2014 at 8:08pm

  Beautiful beads.