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
The similarity between the secondary uses of two different objects can cause the primary use of one to be transferred to the other.