Khmer Silver Beads

Khmer silver beads from Cambodia

These beautiful silver beads have been manufactured by the Khmer people for several hundred years. Unfortunately these beads are about to disappear, since the young young generation prefers to work in the modern factories instead of learning a traditional time-consuming handcraft. The beads consist of fine silver which is primarily hammered to thin sheets. Then the silver is cut and embellished with ornaments. The heart of the bead consists of pitch, which is won from pinetrees, in order to give the beads stability. For this reason these beads are light-weight and the silver content not too high which positively affects the price. The beads have a thread hole of up to 3 mm, which also permits to thread them on leather cords. All beads are manufactured exclusively by hand according to traditionally delivered methods.