Blue Heritage Necklace – blue glass disc beads with a brass spiral bead and toggle clasp

Close-up of blue glass beads and the lost-wax cast brass bead with spiral pattern

Blue Heritage Necklace

A single strand of royal-blue glass beads with a sculptural brass ornament set to the side. The beads are organically shaped and catch the light; the brass adds a warm contrast.

Two groups of artisans in Ghana make it. Near Accra, glass bottles are melted down and re-formed into beads. In Kumasi, the former Ashanti capital, brass-smiths model the brass pendants in wax, cover them in clay and cast them in recycled brass using the lost-wax method. The clay mould is broken to free each piece, so no two brass ornaments are alike.

The necklace looks generous but is light to wear, and comes in two lengths.

Materials: recycled glass, recycled brass

Lengths: 45 cm or 54 cm, end to end

Clasp: brass

Care: polish the brass with a soft cloth, which will be added to your parcel

Handmade throughout, so the glass and brass vary slightly from piece to piece.

€165,00

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Blue Heritage Necklace

€165,00

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Who made it?

The artisans behind your product

A dense, colorful display of coiled beaded bracelets or necklaces made of small round beads, arranged in overlapping bundles of blue, purple, yellow, green, pink, brown, black, and white.

Our partner

Out of fascination for the west African beading tradition, we started working with two artisan groups in Accra and Kumasi during a field trip in 2024. One is based in the outskirts of Ghana's capital and recycles glass bottles to a myriad of colourful shapes of beads.

A man in a blue traditional outfit sits on the floor of a bead stall, working with a large blue bag filled with colorful beaded necklaces. The background wall is covered with rows of hanging multicolored beads.

Modernity & Heritage

All across Ghana, textile and beading vintage pieces can be discovered, showing the extraordinary craftsmanship of West African artisans, some reminiscent of the early trade connections to Europe, such as beads from Venetian or Bohemian glassmakers, wax fabric from Indonesia over the Netherlands to be reinvented West Africa. These red vintage beads have become part of our collection, as a limited series.

A man wearing a purple tank top sits cross-legged at a wooden table, crafting small orange beads with his hands. The table is covered with yellow cords, blue and purple beads, and other jewelry-making materials.

Lost Wax casting

In the former capital of the Ashanti kingdom, known for its refined and unique goldsmiths, we have collaborated with two brass artisans who still master the craft of lost wax casting: every piece is formed in wax and later casted with recycled brass. The mould only works once, which is why every single piece is one-of-a kind.

A collection of small brass turtle figurines and decorative hardware pieces arranged on a weathered wooden board, with a blue bowl of coins or disc-like pieces at the top and a patterned yellow-and-white fabric at the bottom left.

Unique skills

The incredible skills of this artisans collective, operating from the brass village at the outskirts of Kumasi is humbling. Every single element was formed by hand, then covered with clay, dried, recovered and then burnt. The void gets filled with liquid brass which then cools down and gets cracked open. The mould breaks and the final piece appears to get polished to be mounted on your necklace.