Awuazi.  Krobo.  Opaque light blue.
 Reportedly made of crushed
European beads mixed with cold
cream jars.  Reportedly made as
early as the 1920s or 1930s. Not
"koli" or they would be called such.  
Name said to derive from a girl's
name.  Apparently made in imitation
of "early blues" (early modern
European drawn beads).  The color
is usually a faithful reproduction.

Awuazi with stripes.  Krobo.  
Opaque light blue (as above) with
red over white compound stripes.  
If the red stripes are not crushed
European beads, they could well be
red shale rust. Reportedly made as
early as the 1920s or 1930s. Not
"koli" or they would be called such.  
Name said to derive from a girl's
name.  Apparently made in imitation
of "early blues" (striped ones), as
above.

Keta Awuazi.  Probably not Krobo.  Opaque
light blue, but less homogenized glass colors
(often shows mottling).  Probably a similar mix
of European beads and cold cream jars.  
Probably made in horizontal molds.  Nicely
finished with a smoother, shinier finish than
regular awuazi.  Probably as old as regular
awuazi.  Not "koli" or they would be called
such. "Keta" is a town (Ga or Ewe) on the
Ghana coast near the Togo border.  Krobos call
these "Keta awuazi" either because the beads are
made in Keta or because they get them there.  
Also made in imitation of European beads (see
the bead marked with "X", a drawn European
bead).  These beads have textural and
morphological similarities to the Yoruba "ateyun"
(an imitation coral) or imitation coral.

This is a single string (off raffia) loosely sorted
by size.  They don't appear to be from a single
batch, as the numerous variations suggest.

X

String A

String B

(J') is 34 mm and has an
irregular texture that doesn't
automatically suggest a mold.  
(I') is bent (called "dagli" =
"elbow"), which also tends to
exclude a mold.  (I'') has a dark
stripe and black spots.  (I''') has
four white stripes.

I'll try to clear up ambiguities
later.

A

B

C

D

I

H

G

E

F

K

J

Niusisi Koli.  These are two "Dipo" ceremonial
strings presented as "niusisi koli".  "Niusisi"
translates as "underwater".  We note there are
several types of beads in these strings that are not
niusisi, including some Keta awuazi (A), a
"slumped" European light blue drawn bead typical of
Medieval Mali (B), a true European "early blue" (C),
another European drawn bead like the one marked
"X" above (D), and some other horizontal mold
powder glass at (mottled (E) and striped (F)) that
grade into the Keta awuazi.  Some of these mottled
ones have clearly identifiable specks of Venetian
bead material (G).  The long blue powder glass (H)
is very close to the Yoruba "ateyun" in everything
but color.  Bead (I) is just like (H), but it has two
neat red stripes indicating a horizontal mold.  
Removing  A to I, we're left with what may be
termed the "standard" niusisi koli.  (J) is weakly
translucent greenish glass with white and/or red
specks, while (K) is darker green with red stripes.  
Both these types appear to be powder glass and
both compare favorably to Keta Awuazi and the
other presumably horizontal mold beads of cloudy
origin.  It's these beads that support another or
second area of horizontal production besides
Ashanti.

K

D

D

D

D

J'

H

I'''

I''

I'