Job's Teardrop Beads Natural 8-10mm Pkg of 30
SKU:
$2.49
$2.49
per item
From time immemorial, creative people have fashioned attractive bead jewelry from all sorts of natural objects. The variety of natural beads is only limited by one's imagination, including polished bone, tusks, teeth, vegetable ivory, sea shells, precious gemstones, seeds and amber. Although seeds probably require the least amount of preparation for bead production, they still need to be polished and drilled or pierced--a tedious and time-consuming process. But there is one remarkable seed called Job's tears that is already polished and has a hole through it. This perfect bead is produced by a tall, roadside grass (Coix lacryma-jobi) that grows like a weed throughout the Old and New World tropics. The common name Job's tears refers to the droplet-shaped, pearly white "beads," and to the biblical man of the Old Testament who endured great suffering. This relationship to tear drops is also reflected in the specific epithet lacryma-jobi, in reference to the tear-producing lacrimal glands located near the eyes. Although there is unanimous agreement that the beads resemble tears, there appears to be some disagreement as to exactly whose tears the beads resemble. Depending on exactly where you happen to be in the world, this plant goes by various names including David's tears, Saint Mary's tears, Christ's tears (Lacryma Christi), and just plain tear drops.
