North African Talhakimt Trade Bead - RED - Tribal Tanfouk Pendant
Vintage glass talhakimt from West Africa, also known as tanfouk. These pretty and unusual items are used for pendants, for embellishing headpieces or as additions to jewelry, incuding necklaces and earrings. Seen most often in Mali and Mauritania, they have been made in many different sizes and colors, usually of glass or agate
Glass talhakimt, also sometimes called tanfouk, were originally Czech trade beads which were produced beginning in the early 1900s. Those pieces were based on an even older design from India. The design has been passed from India, through Africa and then to Europe where they were made by the Czech bead makers as trade items. Today, copies are made in plastics and resins. These older, traditional pendants are glass and have been used as tribal adornment in country. There may be small imperfections from the manufacturing process, they may be dirty or pitted from wear, and some may have small chips, cracks or worn edges. All are a similar color, but there is variation and any or all may be slightly different. These can be washed and even scrubbed gently if desired, although they are glass and should be handled with care.
Item No. JPB0002
Length: 2-3/16 inches
Width: About 1-3/8 inches
Materials: Glass
Color: Red to red-orange. Most are red-orange.
Attachment: There is a hole in the center of each that is traditionally used to string these on cord.
Additional Info: These items are vintage glass and should be handled with care.
Country of Origin: Czechoslovakia, sourced in Morocco.
Condition: Vintage
Priced listed is for ONE talhakimt pendant / bead.
Please check photos carefully for condition. You will receive a piece SIMILAR to those shown in the photos on this page. This is a USED piece that has been previously worn in country. As a previously used tribal item it may have small flaws such as scratches, small cracks or pits, dirt or other signs of use and wear.
A NOTE ON THE CONDITION OF TRIBAL ITEMS: Our jewelry is used tribal jewelry, from faraway lands. As used pieces the condition of our items will reflect their prior lives as treasured tribal pieces. Please know that we strive to maintain the tribal allure of our items and therefore we do not clean or repair these pieces in any way. We leave that choice to the buyer, as each may prefer something different. This not only maintains the old, tribal look of each piece that our belly dance customers seek, but also preserves the value of a piece that cleaning might diminish.
We do our best to describe any flaws that may be present in our items, and we encourage you to read the full description and look at all photos closely to judge the condition of the item for yourself and know exactly what you are ordering. If you have questions about the condition of any item, please ask!
