Bead Dictionary Letter K

Introduction

In the late 1990s, Penny Diamanti, Joyce Diamanti and Robert K. Liu started working on a Bead Dictionary. Around 2009, after much work by the Diamantis, the Bead Dictionary was posted on the Beadazzled website. Through the years, additions were made by Beadazzled. In the summer of 2018, when the Washington DC Beadazzled store and its website closed, the Bead Dictionary was offered to Ornament. This is a unique resource, especially rich for information on beads of ethnographic and ancient origins. As Ornament has only a staff of three, we are slowly reposting it on our website, updating or expanding some of the entries and are adding search features, links and references as time permits. The Bead Dictionary covers primarily beads and other perforated ornaments, but also tools and materials used by those who make jewelry utilizing beads. Photographs from the Ornament archives are being added, as well as new images taken expressly for the Bead Dictionary and others are being brought up to current standards, as many of these images are almost 30 years old. Original photography was by Robert K. Liu, while Cas Webber did additional photos for Beadazzled, noted in the captions as RKL or CW, after first captions.

This Dictionary of Beads is a labor of love and a work in progress. We welcome your comments and suggestions through the Contact link. To navigate, select from the visual index above to jump to the letter you want in the Dictionary, but give the page a little time to load first. To get back to the top and select another letter use the arrow button. We are continuously adding to the Dictionary, so check back often. 

To search for keywords in Dictionary headings, use your browser's search function; for example in Internet Explorer use Control+F and in Apple Command+F, then type in your keyword. We hope you enjoy this (not-so-tiny) treasure, and learn more about the vast world of Beads.

Karat

A measure of the purity of gold. 24 karat gold is 100% gold. 18 karat gold is 75% gold or 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals such as silver and copper. 12 karat gold is only 50% gold, or 12 parts gold and 12 parts other metals.

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Kennedy, Mary

Khambhat

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See: Cambay

Kidney Wires

Information to come...

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Kiffa Beads

Kiffa beads derive their name from the town in Mauritania where women make them. To make these powder glass beads, a core is formed by mixing glass with a binder, such as sugar, gum arabic or even saliva. Powdered glass is painstakingly added to the core in intricate patterns and the whole thing is then fired. Sometimes a plain European bead is used as the core and sometimes the patterning copies that of fancier European beads. The striking designs of some of these small beads have made them very desirable and expensive.

Because of the intricate patterns, complicated process and lack of high-tech beadmaking equipment, the women of Kiffa can only make 2 to 4 beads in a day. The techniques used to make these powder glass beads are around 1,000 years old and are probably still done in much the same manner. After the core is made and the pattern is set, the beads are fired on a piece of broken pottery covered with a used tin can. The firing process itself only takes about 45 minutes.

The beadmaking industry in Kiffa declined in the 1980’s, but Western interest allowed some women to take up the work again. Many of the newer beads are not as well designed as the earlier beads, but they still take considerable skill to make. Kiffa beads are one of the few beads used in Africa that are actually made in Africa. They are also unique because they are made by women in a typically male field.

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See Also: Powder Glass Beads

Knotting Tool

A knotting tool helps you create secure, uniform knots. It is especially useful in stringing pearls and other types of beads when you want to place a knot between each bead. This tool has a sharp point similar to an awl and a V-shaped notch to guide the thread.

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Kori

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See: Aggrey Beads

Kreitter, Keith

Krobo Beads

Information to come...

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See Also: Adjagba Beads Akoso Beads Bauxite Beads Bodom Beads Powder Glass Beads

Kyanite

Information to come...

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