Most of the bone beads come from Kenya, where they are made from cattle bones: the bones are boiled to be more easily removed from all flesh, blanched, then cut into strips and finally into pieces of the size of the beads. The central hole is filled by a pierced wooden washer that allows a stable threading. Slipped on rigid rods, the beads are milled until their surface is smooth enough to apply batik wax in geometric patterns with traditional patterns. The beads are then dyed black, then, when the dye is dry, the wax is scraped to reveal the clear and bare bone. The beads are polished again before being strung.