Ju/’hoan and !Kung San women still use the same millennia-old technique handed down from their ancestors to make ostrich eggshell beads. The beads were originally fashioned into simple pieces of body adornment by their hunter-gatherer forebears who roamed southern Africa to exchange as gifts and cement relationships with other bands. Today the making of ostrich eggshell jewellery is an important source of income for these communities.

With time each piece acquires its own distinctive patina from the wearer – the more it is worn, the more unique it becomes!