Nigerian Metals
Brass and bronze beads, pendants and fetishes have been produced in both the lost wax casting method and fabrication techniques for hundreds of years. Metal jewelry was highly prized and displayed wealth on the wearer. Many beads are produced today, but the bulk of the beads offered here are rare and 100 – 300 years old! Some have iron or copper alloys, and show years of wear in smoothness and patina. Yoruba tribe beads are listed in a separate category; the metals listed here are not Yoruba.
Vintage Brass Yoruba Necklace with Pendant
MYOR2033c
Vintage 1950’s shiny brass braided chain necklace with a wonderfully large fabricated (not cast) brass pendant. 26" necklace with 55mm in diameter pendant. One-of-a-kind and very unique. This type of brass jewelry is no longer made by the Yoruba people.
1 in stock
Vintage Brass Yoruba Necklace with Pendant
MYOR2033a
Vintage 1950’s shiny brass braided chain necklace with a wonderfully large fabricated (not cast) brass pendant. 26" necklace with 54mm x 76mm pendant with a cool tentacled drop. One-of-a-kind and very unique. This type of brass jewelry is no longer made by the Yoruba people.
1 in stock
Large Brass Cone-Shaped Nigerian Beads
METH925
Large brass or bronze cone-shaped bead from Nigeria. Antique and very cool; over 100 years old. Each cast from an unique clay mold, thus making each a one-of-a-kind bead. Size and design differ, so when ordering please indicate which bead you would like by their letter. Sizes range from 40mm long to 61mm long.
5 in stock
Set of Five Cast Brass Dangles
MNIG659
Set of five cast brass dangles from Nigeria. Antique; over 75 – 100 years old. 8mm diameter drops with traditional swirl design and large 3-4mm loop. Five in a set.
15 in stock
Cast Bronze Tubes from Nigeria
MNIG634
BACK IN STOCK!!! Pretty cool cast bronze large tubes from Nigeria. Great for tassels or dreadlocks! Each one is different: sizes range from 25-45mm long x 22mm wide. Randomly picked; so if you want a specific length, please make note of it when you order. Sold separately, not as a group.
29 in stock
New Brass Rings from Nigeria
MNIG654st
21" strand of newly cast brass rings from Nigeria. Each ring is approximately 11mm round.
3 in stock
Antique Brass/Bronze Nigerian Rings, B
MNIG665b
Old bronze/brass ring from Nigeria. Very cool, usually worn woven into a leather belt. 23-30mm in diameter x 3-5mm thick. Photo shows slight variation in size and coloration and patina with these very cool rings. SOLD SEPARATELY not in a group.
21 in stock
Antique Bronze Wedding Rings from Nigeria, strand
MNIG674st
Bronze "wedding" rings made in Nigeria and over 100 years old. These rings are made to be worn as a bunch on string rather than on the finger (see photo). Average size is 15mm in diameter with inner diameter of 7mm. 100 rings on this strand.
Available separately as MNIG674.
1 in stock
Set of Three Bronze/Brass Rings from Nigeria.
MNIG633
Set of old brass/bronze rings from Nigeria with varying amounts of patina on each of them. Sold as a set only. These heavy cast hair/belt rings average 23-26mm diameter x 9mm thick. Very cool, indeed!
1 in stock
Large, Old Bronze Nigerian Beads
MNIG622m-o
These rare cast bronze beads from Cameroon or northern Nigeria have varied markings and patterns, and are believed to be from 200 – 300 years old. Some have more copper or iron content. The beads shown in the photograph are between 30mm diameter x 18mm thick to 29mm diameter x 14mm thick. Please order by M, N or O; Sold separately.
3 in stock
Huge Strand of Brass Bells from Nigeria
MNIG640st
24" strand of jingly-jangly brass bells from Nigeria. Made by the "lost-wax" technique almost every bell has a clapper and, when shaken, makes a cheerful racket! Bells measure approx. 8mm in diameter to 14mm diameter. A great buy!
1 in stock
British West African Coins, small
MNIG608
These old silver-color "one tenth penny" coins have a 6-pointed star and 1930-1950 dates, with King George VI, some with Arabic writing. Great jewelry part! 6mm center hole, 20mm across, sometimes available in strands (please call for strand information). Condition varies from coin to coin; some with little wear and some with a lot – see photo for examples.
75 in stock
Strands of Solid Brass Rounded Cylinders
MNIG603ST
BACK IN STOCK! Old Solid brass cylinders from Nigeria, sold in 20" strands with approximately 70 beads; 10mm-10.5mm diameter.
8 in stock
Nigerian or Camaroon Brass Ring Link
MNIG630
NEW STOCK! Unusual Brass (or Bronze) tribal phallic pendant-beads worn by men from Nigeria, Northern Camaroon. Size varies, between 38- 40mm long. Over 100 years old. Photo shows variation in size and shape; SOLD SEPARATELY, not as a group.
44 in stock
Nigerian "Snake Skin" Bronze/Brass Ring
MNIG650
BACK IN STOCK! Old bronze/brass ring from Nigeria with "snake skin" cross-hatch pattern. Becoming harder to find nowadays. Very cool, usually worn woven into a leather belt. 28-32mm in diameter x 5mm thick. Photo shows slight variation in size and patterns with these very cool rings. SOLD SEPARATELY not in a group.
30 in stock
Elongated Brass Bicone
MNIG602
These long bicones are cast and have a ridge in the middle circumference. They are not very old, but they are very funky! 27 × 17mm
5 in stock
Nigerian Brass & Tuareg Daggers Strand A
MNIG628ST_a
From northern Nigeria, 26" strand of early 1900’s Yoruba brass Saturn or bumpy beads mixed with Tuareg silver ring with dagger pendants (like MTUA1204).
1 in stock
Nigerian Brass & Tuareg Daggers Strand B
MNIG628st_b
From northern Nigeria, 26" strand of early 1900’s Yoruba brass Saturn or bumpy beads mixed with Tuareg silver ring with dagger pendants (like MTUA1204).
1 in stock
Bag of African Metal Beads
BAGOBEADSAFRICAN1002
New! Ruth as assembled a wonderful African Metals Mix grab bag of beads! Base metal silver, copper & brass beads (and sometimes buttons) from Mali, Ghana, Nigeria and Ethiopia. No two bags are alike! Photo shows the contents of two such 3 × 3" bags! This is a wonderful, discounted way to stock up on fun metals beads for all sorts of projects! NOT RETURNABLE.
16 in stock
Brass "Football" beads
MNIG601st
30" strand of football/melon-shaped brass beads newly made in Nigeria. Each 10-11mm x 5mm bead is made rom a single sheet of brass that is then shaped and seamed. Very cool, rough/organic shape.
9 in stock
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