Explore the World from Home with Botanical Beads
(Page 3 of 5)
December/January 2006
By Susan Belsinger
It would be difficult to list the many types of seeds, berries and pods that are in Smith’s collection, so what follows is a list of some of the most common plant materials used in necklaces, plus mention of a few of the more unusual ones. Many seeds used for beads, such as rosary peas, castor beans and datura seeds, are toxic, so be forewarned.
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Well-Traveled Seeds
Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi). Although they look like seeds and are referred to as seeds, Job’s tears are caryopses, the specialized fruit of a grass. Native to Asia, they are the “seeds” most commonly used in ornament. They are almost round and easily pierced, and, because of their pale gray color, they often are dyed. A new widow of a tribal group in New Guinea will wear up to 50 pounds of necklaces made of Job’s tears. She will remove one necklace a day until the period of mourning is over. Cherokee legend has it that during their diaspora from their homeland, the Cherokee people left a trail of tears, and these plants popped up wherever a tear was shed. Medicine men of the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico wore it for protection against sickness.
Chinaberry, Persian lilac (Melia azedarach). Native to eastern Asia, the tree has naturalized throughout the warm countries of the world. Its ridged, melon-shaped seeds are pierced easily for stringing. In India, draping garlands of chinaberry over doorways is believed to prevent infectious disease.
Lead tree (Leucaena leucocephala). This tree, native to Central America, produces small, oval, brown seeds resembling apple seeds, which are made into intricate necklaces and belts. Mimosine, a compound in the seeds and leaves, is a natural depilatory fed to sheep by Australian farmers, to facilitate the shedding of their wool.
Rosary pea (Abrus precatorius). Its extremely toxic, small, round, red seeds with a prominent black spot are a very popular seed for rosaries and decorating ceremonial objects. The seeds, uniform in size and weight, were used as the first system of weights in Africa. The Koh-i-noor diamond, now one of the British Crown jewels, reportedly was weighed using these seeds.
Castor bean (Ricinus communis). These very toxic, handsome, speckled seeds, the source of castor oil, often are combined with other seeds to make necklaces.
Rudraksha (Elaeocarpus angustifolius). Known as rudraksha seeds in India, they may have been the earliest form of prayer beads. Within the blue fruit is a deeply wrinkled, round, brown marble-sized stone, which is pitted and has five lines. It is revered as the most sacred seed for the Hindus who worship Shiva. A full string of prayer beads contains 108 beads and is referred to as a mala.
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