AFRICANSQUARE

The highly decorative Swazi Candles are hand-made in the small African Kingdom of Swaziland using the age-old technique "millefiore". Millefiore, or "thousand flowers", first surfaced in ancient Alexandria, but was perfected in the great glassmaking cities of Murano and Venice. On the African coast, these Venetian trade beads were used as a form of currency to barter for gold and ivory. So popular did they prove that the North and West Africans came to make their own variation. Thus was born the African trade bead, rare and sought-after by collectors to this day. The art of millefiore continues today in Swazi Candles. But instead of glass, the gifted candle makers of Swaziland use a special hard wax to create their colourful designs.