Moroccan Amber Resin Beads have been prized for centuries among the Berber tribes of the mountainous regions of North of Africa. In traditional families, such beads conveyed both status and wealth and have been passed down from one generation to the next. Berber production of semi-precious amber to form Trade Beads was used as currency along the trans-Saharan trading route. Valued for their unrivalled beauty and exuberant colours, Moroccan Amber Beads hold great historical significance in the eyes of many Berber tribespeople, including the belief that amber contains the spirits of various ancestors. As such, many families continue the age-old tradition of gifting amber necklaces to their children as a family heirloom. There is a common misconception that Moroccan Amber Beads are semi-precious stones, when in fact they are produced from the natural resin of gum trees. Brass trade beads are from Ghana, Africa. Each bead is made individually through the ancient "Lost Wax process" and is therefore unique. Made in the old Ashanti Kingdom in central Ghana, the process begins with beeswax, latex, or another material with a low melting point. It must be soft enough for carving fine details, but hard enough to retain its shape. After the wax object has been carved, increasingly coarse layers of clay are applied to the object and allowed to dry. The first and finest clay slips capture the wax details in the smooth mould, and the coarser clay layers provide strength. The entire assemblage is fired, causing the original wax carving to melt away, leaving only a baked clay shell. Liquid metal is poured into the empty mould and left to cool and harden. Later, the clay exterior is broken open, revealing the finished metal object beneath. In direct lost-wax casting, the object produced is always unique, as the mould is necessarily destroyed as part of the casting process. Glass beads are made by the Krobo People of Ghana and are an excellent example of African creative recycling. Coloured bottles are collected, sorted and crushed. The fragments are then poured into individual bead moulds and fired in a kiln made from termite clay and fuelled by firewood and palm kernels that burn at a very high temperature. The hole for the bead is made using a cassava stem that burns up during firing leaving the hole. Once the fused glass cools the resulting beads are washing and polished using sand and water. This labour-intensive process results in each bead being truly unique and hand made. The technique has been used in Africa for centuries.