Description: Kazuri Bead Factory is located in the Nairobi suburb of Karen, on land that was previously part of the 6,000 acre estate of Karen Blixen of "Out of Africa" fame. It is one of the more popular tourist destinations in the area and is often packaged with tours of the Karen Blixen House and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and/or Giraffe Manor. Because I had done those locations on Sunday when the bead factory was closed, I had to work it into my itinerary for Monday afternoon before heading downtown for the accommodations that would be the start of my safari schedule.
"Kazuri" translates from Swahili as "small and beautiful". Their history here, however, is somewhat recent as today it serves as an economic development effort of sorts as most of the employees here are single mothers earning a living to support their families. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a young man who offered a tour of their factory which was comprised of three or four buildings.
As we walked through the grounds, he explained each step of the process used to create the beautiful bead jewelry that has become popular around the world. The raw material is clay brought from Mt. Kenya, which must be prepared by removing air pockets and impurities from the soil. Small bricks of roughly six inches cubed are formed and used by the ladies to create the various shaped beads. Many are round or oval, but some are also in the shape of Africa’s most famous wildlife including giraffes and elephants. The clay is also used to form their line of pottery that includes coffee mugs, plates, bowls and animal shaped figurines.
After the clay is molded into whatever is being made, they are allowed to air dry before being taken to the kiln for their first firing. After that step in the process, they are taken to the building where the painting takes place. Each lady has a specific design that she is working on for the day based on the orders that have been received by the factory. Some of the products are made for sale in the gift shop on the premises, while others are sent to distributors around the world.
Once a tray or rack is filled, they are again fired in the kiln. The colorful beads and other pieces come to life with the firing process. The racks of beads are then removed and placed in large tubs which are taken to another production area for use in creating bracelets, chokers and necklaces. They also make earrings to match many of their more popular items.
It was interesting to me that the ladies working throughout the factory were very social as they worked at whatever they were doing in the process to make this beautiful jewelry. They were free with a smile and greeting of "Jambo" (hello) as visitors stopped to admire their work.
After the guided tour, visitors are led to the gift shop which is adjacent to the main parking lot where the tour began. The area was quite large, more than what I had expected. To the left side of the single room building was the pottery and large items while the jewelry and some leather goods were in the area where you entered. There were racks and racks of beautiful and brightly colored items. I had come hoping to buy a specific design based on what I had seen on their website, but alas, they did not have the "Antique Ndovu" (Old Elephant), so I opted for "Twiga" (giraffe) instead.
Given all that goes into creating these lovely works of art, I was shocked at the reasonable prices for Kazuri Bead jewelry. American outlets are charging $79 for the very necklace I purchased for 19KSH or roughly $21. Even merchants on Ebay are fetching a "buy it now" price of $59! I could not think of a more personal souvenir or gift than something from Kazuri Bead Factory and was happy to make a couple of purchases for friends and family back home.
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