The Egyptians seem to have been the first to discover glass and the beads have been created by them millennia ago. The oldest glass bead known wears the cartouche of Amenhotep (1551-1527 BC). The Phoenicians, for their part, exported their glass beads to Carthage and Spain. It is probable that they imported the process of glass manufacture in Italy. Venice was, from the twelfth century, the star of glassware. Murano beads were exported in incredible quantities. From 1892 to 1897, the export figure reached 3 million kg, to which must be added the productions of Holland, Germany and Bohemia. Nowadays you can find on the markets of Africa all sorts of beads; some of them are very old and may cost a high price, others are more recent. You will find a nice selection on our site.