Glass Forest

Winter mornings after a snowfall leave a wondrous scene to behold: the heavy snow weighs down the pine trees all the way to the ground, branches are entirely encased in ice, and forest ponds are frozen solid. The color of the ice is full of variations of blues.   

This powder glass bead could easily match the color of a scoop of ice by a forest pond's edge from North America in winter. However, it is not from a frozen pond, nor even from a forest, and not at all from North America, but from Ghana. Our supplier describes how these beautiful glass beads are made:

The Krobo People crush glass to a fine powder and heat it so that the particles fuse together. The glass is then poured into clay molds and a cassava leaf stem is used to make the hole. They are baked in an oven and the glass fuses and the cassava stem burns up. This technique has been used in Africa for centuries. Watch the process below! 

This is such a a stunning effort in sustainability, and a beautiful art form by the Krobo peoples. We at East Ruin are so thankful we get to enjoy their work and creativity from a land so far away as ours, and carry the warmth of Ghana into the cold winter days of North America.

Made with sterling silver finish chain, antiqued-silver brass bead cap, premium metal ball pin, 14mm recycled grey mist glass bead from Ghana

Relic code: 1.15.36.40.43 (refer to the Codex)

Weight Scale: 3 (apx .20 oz)

Length: 18 inches (with 2" give)