Blue Kiffa bead with 6 white dots, however one was knocked off with the chip in the lower left angle and the one at the apex seems to have melted into the blue background glass leaving just a tiny pin prick of white.
Vintage 1980s, or probably much older, Kiffa Bead
29mm tall, 17mm wide at the base. Large chip missing in lower left corner
Called Muraqad in Mauritania, Kiffas were made by women starting around 1820 to 1830 and used as hair ornaments and on necklaces.
The process uses the wet-pack method of powderglass beadmaking in which the different colors of pulverized glass are moistened before being applied to the base bead shape. They are heated until the glass just fuses, but doesn't liquify, which would ruin the design. The result is a semi-matte surface.
These beads are not to be confused with the proliferation of "kiffa" fakes on the market that are made in Indonesia with overly bright colors, crude patterns, a glossy finish and narrower and more irregular triangle shape.
See AFE-626, AFE-727, AFE-728, AFG-244 and AFT-124 for more triangle Kiffas
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