Explore the World from Home with Botanical Beads
(Page 4 of 5)
December/January 2006
By Susan Belsinger
Tulsi, holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum). For the Hindus who worship Vishnu, holy basil, an herb in the mint family, is the most sacred plant. Pieces of stem are cut and shaped into beads for stringing into prayer beads.
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Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium). Necklaces of the highly toxic seeds of Datura are made in Venezuela and Peru. Immature seeds, light in color, are strung with mature black seeds in attractive combinations.
Desert juniper (Juniperus osteosperma). This tree is sacred to many Native Americans. Its small, beige, grooved seeds are splashed with brown and are used as beads by Southwestern tribes. These “cedar berry ghost beads,” as the Navajo call them, were worn by children to keep the night spirits away.
Oaks (Quercus spp.). The various sizes of acorns are a common element in necklaces made in Africa and Mexico. Those from Africa often are dyed. California Indians sewed acorns on the bottoms of their skirts for adornment. Sometimes just the caps are used, combined with other beads or fruits, such as dried guava.
Make Your Own
You, too, can make necklaces, bracelets or anklets from the gifts we find in nature. Use your imagination and be creative. Smith says that most of her necklaces are strung on thread, filament or string, sometimes on palm fibers, and she has two made by Austrailian aborigines that are strung on human hair. Your local bead or craft shop carries all sorts of heavy-duty string for beading, from waxed linen to tiger tail, a very thin wire coated with plastic that lasts a long time. Double strands of unwaxed dental floss also work well.
Many types of seeds, pods, nuts or stems can be used as beads. Holes can be made in soft seeds with a needle or a piece of wire. In many countries, beads were soaked and pierced with needles, or burned with hot wire. You will need to drill holes in the harder pods and nuts with a small drill. Be careful not to injure your fingers, as some of the seeds and nuts are quite hard; a vise is handy for holding them while drilling.
Jewelry can be made up of all one kind of seed or nut, or a combination can be used, with patterns laid out and repeated. Many jewelry makers vary the size or color of the beads and add little seed or glass beads in between for variation. Knots can be tied before and after each bead. Most rose bead necklaces have decorative beads in between and the rosaries have some silver and/or chain connecting them. 
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