Koforidua Bead Market

I know I said I was done, but I recently received some pictures of the bead market. I loved looking at beads and shopping for them. I think you'll understand why.

This picture was actually taken at the cedi bead factory that I blogged about earlier. This is just a little room in a shack that is chuck full of glass bottles to use for making beads.
They kept on display some of the variety of colored glass that they can get to make the beads, red being the most rare.
Now this is Korforidua up in or near the Volta Region of Ghana. This is such a small dabble of what it looked like. Imagine rows and rows and rows of stall after stall after stall of this. Yes, it's very overwhelming. That would be why I went 3 different times because I just couldn't do it all at once. By the third time, I knew exactly what I wanted and it wasn't as intimidating.

Isn't it beautiful? All hand-made. They work soo soo hard.

These are all hand-painted beads. 2 strings (all the same beads are put together on one string. So when you wanted to buy a certain design or color, they would untie the string and pull off 2 bracelet sized strings of beads---I hope that makes sense) would only cost 80 cents or more depending on the detail and of course the seller. 80 cents was about as cheap as I was able to get, but my friend, Sally Murray, told me that I was paying a lot more than what she gets charged. Oh well, I figure they need the money more than me and I'm getting beautiful beads in return.

Do you understand now? Good, then someone explain to my husband why it was so important that we lugged 30 pounds worth home :)