About Us

Afar Beads & Jewelry is built on more than forty years of collecting, studying, and sharing beads and jewelry from across cultures and centuries.

Founded by Bassem Elias, Afar grew from a lifelong fascination with the history, craftsmanship, and stories held within these objects. For over four decades, Bassem has collected and exhibited beads and jewelry spanning a wide range of cultures, materials, and time periods.

Afar brings this collection into the present. Ancient and antique beads and artifacts are thoughtfully combined with gold to create one-of-a-kind, wearable pieces that preserve the character and history of their original materials while giving them a new life.

Alongside finished jewelry, Afar offers carefully selected strands of antique and ancient beads for designers and collectors, allowing these materials to become part of new work and new stories.

The collection is always evolving. New designs, rare finds, and recent acquisitions will be added regularly, reflecting an ongoing search for remarkable objects from around the world.