"CORK" beads UNUSUAL Fragrant Mali Nursing Mothers

Additional Information:

For more information, please see our comprehensive guide to African-made beads, African Beads: Jewels of a Continent, hardcover, 216 pages, 163 color photographs, available from Africa Direct.

I have been told that these are not actually cork, but are carved from a root. They are fragrant, and are worn by nursing mothers who find that the fragrance of the beads soothes the baby.