Beads were used as currency for centuries  But why beads  The striking fact about many objects that have been used as currency-gold, silver, and feathers, to name a few-is that they were first used mainly, and often solely, as decorative objects
Thus, it is natural that beads, which were initially valued as objects of adornment, also came to be used as currency
An object cannot take on a derivative use unless it ceases to have its original use.