How to Make African Beads

Recycled paper beads

Jewelry is the one common item that everyone has treasured since the beginning of time. You can find it in every culture dating back thousands of years. The survival of many cultures has depended on the making, wearing and trading of beaded jewelry. Beads are created out of everything including stones, crystals and bone. These individual works of art are then turned into prized pieces of jewelry. In Uganda, women create beads out of recycled pages from discarded magazines and posters. This project will create a similar bead that can be made into bracelets, necklaces and to adorn clothing. You could even become an entrepreneur and start your own handmade "green" jewelry line.

Things You'll Need

• Recycled magazine pages with any color scheme or picture
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil
• 3.2mm x 7.5 inch long mandrel or any small dowel
• Tacky glue
• Lacquer with brush to apply or thick clear fingernail polish
• Cord in any matching color

Instructions

1. Look for pages that are dominantly one color or random prints and pictures. The whole page blends together when rolled and the pictures becomes part of the color design.

2. Use a ruler to draw triangles on the magazine page. They start out 3/4-inch wide at one end and then taper down. If you draw the triangles next to each other, alternating the wide side, you can fit many triangles on a single page, giving uniformly colored beads.

3. Cut out the triangle strips.

4. Lay the mandrel on the wide end of a triangle. Fold the wide edge of the triangle over the mandrel and start a tight roll. Continue to the tapered end, keeping it tightly rolled. Apply a small dab of glue to secure the end. Let dry. Slide it off the mandrel. Continue making beads until the amount needed for your design have been made.

5. String the beads onto a cord.

6. Cover the beads with lacquer or fingernail polish to seal the paper and make it shiny. Apply more then one layer for a hard shiny seal and they will last longer.

Tips & Warnings

• This is a wonderful craft to teach to children about recycling and creating art. You can use different beads in between the paper beads for added sparkle. Posters also make great beads. Experiment with different sized triangle for many bead shapes.

References

• Local woman creates jewelry from African paper beads
• Democraticunderground.com
• Demonstration on how to roll a bead

Resources

• Paper bead making classes
• Sculpey polymer clay bead tools