Powdered glass beads also known as, sand cast or Krobo beads are hand made glass beads primarily from West Africa. Africans have made powdered glass beads for centuries, and antique powdered glass beads are some of the most prized beads in the world. The earliest powder glass beads on record were discovered during archaeological excavations at Mapungubwe, in present-day Zimbabwe, and dated to 970-1000 CE. Krobo bead making has been documented to date from as early as the 1920s but despite limited archaeological evidence, it is believed that Ghanaian powder glass bead making dates further back.

Today, the main area of powder glass bead manufacture is West Africa, most importantly, Ghana. The origins of bead making in Ghana are unknown. Ashanti and Krobo craftsmen and women make the vast majority of powder glass beads produced today. Beads continue to play an important roles in Krobo society, be it in rituals of birth, coming of age, marriage, or death.

Powder glass beads are made from finely ground glass, the main source being broken and unusable bottles and variety of other scrap glass. Special glass such as old cobalt medicine bottles, cold cream jars, and other types of glass including plates, ashtrays, window panes and such are occasionally bought new, just for bead making. Modern ceramic colorants, finely ground broken beads, or shards of different colored glass from various sources are added to create a variety of styles, designs and patterns.

Powdered glass beads are made in a very specific way. Locally dug clay is used make the bead molds. Finely ground glass is layered into the mould, which is kept upright so the bead maker can form patterns. The process can be compared to filling a glass jar with coloured sand.

Once the mould is filled the beads are fired in a wood burning kiln at a relatively low temperature. Heating fuses the glass particles together and the low temperature firing adds texture to the beads.

Different glass coarseness, as well as the type of glass used, produces different effects once fired.

Holes are either made by piercing the beads with a cassava leaf stem (which burns off during firing) or as pictured to the left. While the beads are still molten hot they are pierced with an awl to allow threading later.

.Larger beads may be produced in halves and fired together for a short time to fuse the two pieces together.

Once the beads have cooled for about one hour they are unmoulded as shown to the right. The finished beads are washed with water and sand to reveal the color of the finished beads.

Most of the patterns in the beads are glass and a glass slurry glaze can be added to decorate the beads. Some bead makers also embellish the beads with paint once the beads are made and have cooled.