Let’s Get Waisted!

Are you ready to get WAISTED? If you’re like me, you’ll have a taste of this and will remain waisted for a lifetime!

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I originally met Key Thomas by reaching out on a group page on Facebook where I was looking for someone in my area who made waist beads. I had done my own research and wanted to get a couple them for spiritual and growth purposes to see if I would like to have these beautiful beads around my waist twenty-four-seven. There were a few people who responded quickly to my request and listed waist bead makers they were familiar with. One of the first names that was recommended to me was Key and her waist bead business, Iced Adornments. We exchanged a few inbox messages and within no time, I knew I wanted her to create my waist beads.

Key replied quickly, answered all my questions and once I placed an order, she delivered the product within hours. Key is my Waist Bead Goddess and “pusha!” I tell everyone about her and her waist beads and what she can do for them. I currently wear seven waist beads and Key has made six of the seven. I did try another waist bead business I saw at an art event, but my supplier remains to be Key of Iced Adornments.

My waist beads have been personalized for me by Key and I love them! I feel sexy and sensual wearing them. Some have stones and they each vary in color. They make me aware of my body and on a spiritual level, the only time I remove them is to bless them with blessing oils and pray over them. I try not to let everyone see them. Occasionally they’ll peek out from underneath my clothes, but I try to keep them hidden and only for me and my lover. Key has created all mine with extenders, which she discusses more about those below. I only have one that is permanently tied around my waist. My plan is when it’s time to be removed, my future husband will be the one to remove it.

If you are not familiar with what waist beads are, there history and the process of how they are made, Key of Iced Adornments is here to tell you more.

How did you start making waist beads and how long have you been making them? I’ve been creating bead jewelry off and on for over 30 years! Initially, I started at the age of 8 making necklaces, bracelets, etc., for my childhood school friends. So, creating waist beads was an easy transition for a process that I’ve been doing since childhood. I started wearing waist beads that were purchased at a street festival and wanted mine to be more personalized. Hence, the beginning of creating my own waist bead strands, which later turned into my growing business; Iced Adornments.  

Who usually wears waist beads? Waist beads are worn by ladies of all shapes, sizes, ages, and creeds! I fully plan to wear mine well into my 80s, lol! I have waisted beauties that wear waist beads on their path of awakening, weight loss journeys, self-love, body awareness and simply those who would like to feel sensual.

What is the process of getting someone fitted for waist beads? At one time, waist beads were only known to be tied on and were more of a permanent jewelry option that were made to be cut off once their purpose was fulfilled for the wearer. However, I make my strands removable (unless otherwise requested). By making them removable, I add extenders to give a little wiggle room or the opposite if needed for a comfortable fit.  I prefer my beauty to be relaxed (don’t hold that belly in) and to determine where she’d like her beads to hang and use a fabric tape measure or ribbon/string to measure that location. If the goal is to use them for their weight loss journey, I always suggest measuring at the navel or higher to allow the beads a chance to drop as weight/inches lowers.

What are some of the styles you have made? I create single, double, triple and “ladder” styles of waist beads. I love to add crystals and gemstones for protection and healing, to meet the personal needs of my beauties.  I encourage all my beauties to celebrate themselves and choose a design that’s personal to their journey.

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How are waist beads worn?  In African tradition, waist beads are meant to be worn under clothing, they’re for you. It’s personal. The meaning of the colors varies with every tribe — it’s kind of like visual dialects. And here in America it’s certainly a form of personal expression/preference and individual interpretation. They’re for all women — any body type, any race, any background. Unlike the name states, waist beads are normally worn lower, just above the hips for regular wear and around the natural waist for weight loss and style preference. I have doubled a strand and worn it as a necklace, or has a bracelet wrap as well!

How many can be worn at one time? Waist beads can easily become addictive, I have a beauty that currently wears upward of 40 strands daily, that she does not remove at all. She layers and stacks them creating a beautiful display of colors. I personally, wear 6-10 strands daily, however on special occasions, I’ve been known to wear 20+ strands for the effect.

Give us some history on waist beads. The history of waist beads dates back to antiquity. Although, it has been widely known that the culture of wearing waist beads comes from the motherland of Africa, the way that that each region and tribe chose to wear waist beads strongly differs.  Many believe that the history begins in ancient Egypt where they were called “girdles” and were worn by women as a status symbol. In West Africa, the tradition was made popular by the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria. They are worn as a celebration of womanhood, sexuality, femininity, fertility, healing, spirituality, body shaping, protection and wealth. While speaking to a young lady from Africa, we discussed what she determined to be the misuse of the African waist beads, and left these gems that I love to pass along;

“I’m a part of a tribe and when I was 9 I started my journey to becoming a women (period) they cut my leg, took my blood, and blessed my beads. During this journey they prepare you to be pure at that point and my mom told me that I had to keep them on until I was married. No sex, no nothing. Once you take them off you are pure when you reach the higher level of which you choose to do so for those who start at a late age. You shower with them on never take them off certain ones have different meanings and be careful about where you get your beads from because some are blessed or have juju on them. Some even have a powder on them to where if you have sexual intercourse, they say they keep a man. I only saw one family do that from Ghana when I moved here to the states.

After my mom passed, I made sure that my little sisters grew up knowing what waist beads are and what they really mean. They are around 14 years old now so it works out well giving them beads for certain meanings. This teaches them, they can prosper and grow and is a great way of celibacy until they get to a certain age. Waist beads can serve as a symbol of femininity. The beads were an integral part of African female initiation lodges in the Old Kongo Empire, according to The Orb of Djenra. Young females began to wear the beads when they started to menstruate, marking their passage from girlhood to womanhood. The beads may have also served as a kind of belt onto which the “monthly cloth” was attached.

Coming from wearing them since I was 9, I am finally married now, but I still have my beads on because my husband knows how much they mean to me and the culture behind them. Men that have come in and out of my life understand and treated me better because I stood for something that make you want to grow up and be better than who you were before.  It really does help and shape a new you. When you first put them on make sure you are in a positive mindset with clean hands or that person washes their hands. Be careful and always try to exfoliate your stomach because I wore mine for so long it left marks on my stomach.”

What is making them so popular now in the United States? In my opinion, evolution of awareness and the need for connection to Africa has created a surge of curiosity for the use of waist beads They have also become extremely popular within the fitness world as a way to deter an obsession with the numbers on the scale during weight transformations.

What other jewelry do you make? Body chains, which are a combination of a necklace and waist beads connected by a decorative center piece. Wrist and anklet chains, which are rings for the finger or toes, which are connected to an anklet or bracelet; earrings, necklaces, and pretty much anything beaded can be designed!

What is the price range of your waist beads and other jewelry? Waist beads start at $10 for basic solid color strands, and the prices rise according to demand of design and other personalization a client wants added to their waist beads.

Are you available for special events and private affairs? Yes, I am! I’d love to help you get a waisted party going for you and your friends. We can bead and sip or arrange an event personalized to your desires.  

If anyone wants to become a new client, how do they contact you?

• I have some of my most popular designs on my website; www.IcedAdornments.com
• I can also be reached on Facebook and Instagram at Iced Adornments
• Or, I can be reached by email at 2GetIced@gmail.com
• I also have a group on Facebook where my Waisted Beauties can post pics, questions, and concerns in a “waisted community”; Search for Waisted Beauties

If you want to personalize your waist beads and want to know the meaning of the colors you can use, Key has included the following color guide;

Brown – Earth and stability

Gold – Good health, power and wealth

Green – Abundance, fertility, nature and prosperity

Red – Confidence and vitality

Turquoise – Communication and self-awareness

White – Light, truth and purity

Yellow – Energy, joy and happiness

Black – Power and protection

Blue – Loyalty and truth

Orange – Courage, self-confidence and vitality

Pink – Care, beauty, love and kindness

Purple – Royalty, spirituality and wisdom

If you or a lady in your life is ready to be one of Key’s Waisted Beauties, reach out to Key at Iced Adornments. She is professional, quick and able to answer all your questions. If you are a current waist bead wearer, how have your beads changed your life? How many do you wear at one time? Let us hear from you!

Erotic Blessings,

Karma Eve

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