Most African "amber" is not the true European ( Baltic ) or South American fossilised pine tree resin Amber. Some were made from complicated mixtures of synthetic resin barrel beads, which were imported from Europe from the late 1800's onwards, to be fashioned into their many diverse designs by African craftsmen. There are also many regional variations, which are locally known as 'amber', to be found all over Africa .. made from a variety of materials. Amongst the types on offer on the following pages are some very old, difficult to find, increasingly valuable and highly collectable items.

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