African Trade Bracelet Batik Bone Ghanaian and Ashanti Glass Wax Brass

Batik Bone

Batik Bone beads are popular in most African countries and they are handcrafted from bone of agricultural animals such as cow or camel.

Bone beads are dyed through the ancient batik method to give them color, commonly black and white, or different shades of brown.

This method consists on applying selected areas of an item with wax (a dye-resistant substance) to prevent them from absorbing colors when the remaining area is dyed.

The wax applied is also used to control colors from spreading out from a particular area to create a pattern if the dye is then painted.

The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colorful designs.

After the final dyeing the wax is removed and the item is ready for wearing.