Sixteen small teardrop-shaped seeds scattered loosely, their hard shells mottled grey-brown and glossy, a few still carrying dry stem fragments.
  • The seeds gathered into a tighter heap and seen closer, their glossy grey-brown shells and small stem scars in sharper detail.

Corn beads are hard, naturally formed, teardrop-shaped seeds produced by Coix lacryma-jobi, a perennial plant in the grass family also known as Job’s tears. These corn beads are grown in Cherokee, North Carolina, and retain the plant’s natural shape and surface for use as beads or small objects.

Composition

Corn bead

Handling Notes

  • Before threading, soak the beads briefly to ease the needle and thread through
  • The beads can be threaded and sewn and used for adornment, garments, jewelry, and used for making instruments

Applications in Craft

Keywords

Provenance

Mary W. Thompson, Cherokee Baskets & Vessels, Cherokee, North Carolina. Acquired 2024.

Sources

  • Barnes, Marianne. New and Different Materials for Weaving and Coiling. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., 2012.

In Use

Have you used this material?

Please contact Mellanee Goodman, Program Director, Curator, and Materials Specialist, to start a conversation about submitting your work for inclusion on this site.

mgoodman@centerforcraft.org