Natural bone beads are made from the water buffalo of the Philippines and Indonesia. Philippine bone beads are one of the best quality natural bone beads in the market. The bone hair pipe bead is one of the oldest accessories that are still being used today. Bone is an excellent substitute for ivory. Most of the bones used today come from India and are either cow or camel bone. Tea-dyed bones are soaked in actual tea for several hours to several days to darken the bone and enhance any carved details.