by Sheri_Oz
Creative handmade beads produced in a workshop near Nairobi, Kenya, not only offer unique high-quality jewelry to people around the world, but also provide livelihoods to single women and for men who otherwise may not have a means to support their families. This factory is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization.
I'll show you all stages of bead and jewelry production and some of the pieces I purchased.
In 1975, Lady Susan Wood opened a bead making workshop with two Kenyan women. She quickly discovered that many other women in the Nairobi area, single mothers trying to support their children, were in need of stable jobs.
Today, the workshop has grown into a factory, employing over 350 people, mostly women, who each produce 900 beads per day. Kazuri jewelry and beads are sold around the world.
It is only a twenty-minute drive from downtown Nairobi (when the traffic is not jammed up, that is).
The soil is Kenyan soil that has a very high proportion of clay in it (1). The soil is put into vats and water added. The sand and silt remain in the filters and the smaller sized clay particles drop through into the lower vat (2). Finally, the soil is pushed through a series of cloth filters that are pressurized by turning the wheel a little bit every few hours for a few days (3). Most of the water is removed from the purified clay until it reaches a consistency that is perfect for shaping the beads. The clay is transferred to the bead workshop for the next step of the process.
 Clay Soil Waiting for Filtering Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Water Filtration Equipment and Employee Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Filter Press for Squeezing Excess Wat... Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 | Kazuri Beads - Set of Four Honey and Black Pita Pat Beads Kazuri Beads - Set of four honey and black with x design pita pat style beads - each bead measures approximately 20 mm. Kazuri beads are imported from Kenya. Kazuri means small ... |
 | Kazuri Beads - Set of Eight Dark Green Pita Pat Beads Kazuri Beads - Set of eight dark green pita pat style beads - each bead measures approximately 20 mm. Kazuri beads are imported from Kenya. Kazuri means small and beautiful in S... |
 | Kazuri Beads - Set of Teal Green Barrel Beads Kazuri Beads - Set of five teal green barrel style beads - each bead measures approximately 18x15mm. Kazuri beads are imported from Kenya. Kazuri means small and beautiful in Sw... |
The next steps involve making the beads, themselves. All factory worker are trained over a period of months in all aspects of bead making so that they are rotated among the different tasks and do not become bored. Let me show you what is involved in turning grey clay into colorful beads:
 Breaking off Pieces of Clay Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Using the Bead Mold Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 | Kazuri and Sterling Bracelet - Robin's Egg Blue - Substantial and Whimsical Gorgeous Kazuri bead and Sterling Silver Bracelet. Handmade in the U.S. the bracelet features quality sterling silver components and is accented with Sparkling Swarvoski crystal... |
 | Kazuri Pendant Necklace - Gorgeous and Substantial Antique Gold Pendant Substantial Kazuri Pendant Necklace by SilverChicks accented with Bali Sterling Silver and Swarovski crystal beads. The pendant measures 2 1/2 inches long and 1 inch wide and ha... |
 | Kazuri Earrings - Red and White with Swarovski Crystal Sterling Silver Earrings Gorgeous Kazuri bead earrings - beautiful red and white Kazuri bead complemented with shiny sterling silver Bali style beads and made with quality .925 sterling silver component... |
 Punching Holes in the Beads Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Painting the Beads Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Colored Beads in the Kiln Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Stringing the Beads Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Kazuri Red Choker Photographer, Sheri Oz |
 Green and Blue Kazuri Bracelet Photographer, Sheri Oz |
Susan Wood, daughter of British missionaries in Africa, was born in 1918 in a mud hut in the Belgian Congo. Her parents moved back to Britain for a few years and she and her siblings were enrolled in boarding school there after her parents returned to Africa.
During World War II she was studying nursing in the UK and met her future husband, Michael Wood, then studying medicine. Married in 1943, they moved to Nairobi, Kenya in 1947. After many adventures, that included meeting Alfred Schweitzer and setting up AMREF (African Medical Research Foundation), they bought a farm in Tanzania. Susan tended to the farm and ran a small nursing clinic for local people as her husband was flying to tend to the needs of patients and of AMREF business farther away.
After Tanzania repossessed their land, the Woods returned to Kenya, where they settled on the farm made famous by Karen Blixen ("Out of Africa"). In her backyard, she set up the first bead making studio. The two tourist sites are now in close proximity and can be visited together. Both have coffee shops in their pastoral environs.
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I love the green-blue bracelet too. That's why I bought it and brought it home. I like that you can buy these beads on Amazon just like you say.
They're beautiful, especially the green-blue bracelet. It's great that you can get the beads on their won, so you can make your own jewelry!
@Sheliamarie - What a great idea for a fundraising event. Yes, the beads are amazingly smooth. I love just holding them.
@Sannel - Glad you like the article and the photos.
@BrendaReeves - Yes, with a few hours at each station, you would come away knowing all the steps of making handmade clay beads. Good idea.
These beads are beautiful. I've always wondered how clay was processed. I would love to spend a day making beads with those ladies.
What a beautiful and very interesting article. I learned so much from this. Those Kazuri beads are absolutely stunning. What a piece of art. I loved your photos!
My local community in Canada had a fundraising event for Grammas to Grammas, a Stephen Lewis Foundation initiative that raises money for grandmothers in Africa who are raising their grandchildren due to the epidemic of AIDS. We sold these beads, mostly as necklaces and earrings. I bought a green one for my daughter-in-law and a zebra one for myself. I love these beads! They are so smooth to the touch.
Thanks for your welcomes back guys. You noticed that woman, eh Dustytoes? I wonder what was going on in her head as I took the photo.
Very pretty beads. I love handmade items like this and I do like this idea. The jewelry you purchased is so pretty. (That lady with the hole-punching job doesn't look too thrilled... LOL.)
Very interesting! Great photos too. Thank you for sharing things you learned on your trip with us.
What an amazing process of pure and enriched art. I will never look at Kazuri the same now that I know of the birth and life cycle of the handmade beads from Kenya. What a wonderful story. Thanks and welcome back.