Beads are small round pieces of pierced glass, wood or metal strung together to serve as adornment for the waist, neck or ankle. The earliest powder glass beads were found in the present day Zimbabwe, but from colonial time till date, the Yoruba tribe of the West Africa is the main area where powder glass beads are manufactured.

Waist beads are common with female and seen as an excellent tool for women to feel more feminine and beautiful.

These beautiful waist beads are hand-made and customized; they are worn for various reasons; royalty, body adornment, decoration, birth control, to prevent obesity and to heal.

In some parts of Ghana, people believe that the waist beads possess some erotic appeal and have the power to incite desire or deep emotional response on men. They are acknowledged for positive attributes; to enhance the hips of women.

In Nigeria, waist beads almost went into extinction but their re-emergence have added a new dimension towards the likeness ladies have for waist beads. While some men are against it, others request their partners get them as beads make them more sensual and attractive.