Bida Beads – A Look at the History of Lampworking

I was exhibiting at a bead show in West Chester, Pennsylvania recently, and found myself visiting with my poet friend, Liz, and her family after the show. As it happens, Liz’s brother, Bill Scheffey, is a retired educator who is an expert on world civilizations. I was enthralled with his extensive knowledge and found myself engrossed in his words.

Our discussion naturally found its way into the realm of glass beadmaking history.

The earliest forms of glass beads were believed to be “furnace-wound,” dating back over 4000 years to Ancient Mesopotamia, our current day Middle East. Beads were made by melting glass to a molten state over an open furnace similar to a blacksmith’s forge. The molten glass was wound around a mandrel (a rod), formed into assorted shapes, and decorated by the bead makers. Young villagers would apprentice with the more experienced bead makers by pumping bellows to produce a hotter fire for better flameworking. The finished beads were annealed (cooled slowly in a heated oven-like chamber) to prevent cracking.

Furnace-wound beads are still made today in both India and Africa. The village of Bida in Nigeria is well known for its “Bida Beads,” and continues to forge them as a part of its rich artisan heritage.

I learned that Bill had been in Bida, Nigeria with the Peace Corps back in the Sixties. He seemed very pleased to have a bead enthusiast to listen to his wonderful stories, and soon retrieved a dusty box from his attic. Inside were two simple glass bead necklaces and one string of beads we couldn’t identify.

Bill’s Bida Beads were festive combinations of black, green, and white glass that had been forged over an open fire by African villagers nearly fifty years ago. He had obviously protected them with care all this time, as they were in pristine condition.

I felt honored that Bill wanted me to see his little treasures, as I held them and fondled them with admiration.

I wasn’t at all prepared for what happened next. Bill looked at me with a smile, and said, “They’re yours. Enjoy them!”

I don’t know that I’ve ever been quite so speechless. He was actually giving me these stunning necklaces that surely represented a special time in his life.

How does one begin to honor such a gift? I simply have to share them. Carefully encased for display, my Bida Beads accompany me to my bead shows now, and grace my table with a wonderfully palpable touch of lampworking history.