It is the intention of this paper to place the Diakhité beads into a historical and archaeological perspective, and by so doing examine a period in Senegambian history that roughly extends from the 18th century to around the middle of the 19th century. The beads serve as a focal point to describe the trade that brought them from Europe and elsewhere to Senegambia. They also help portray some aspects of the lives of a particular ethnic group which inhabited the Thies area during this period – the Serer Nones.