<P> The seeds of Abrus precatorius are much valued in native jewelry for their bright coloration . Most beans are black and red, reminiscent of a ladybug, though other colors exist . Jewelry - making with jequirity seeds is somewhat hazardous . There are persistent reports that the workers who pierce the seeds in order to thread them can suffer poisoning or even death from a pinprick, but there seems to be little evidence . An online search found 265 scientific papers referring to Abrus precatorius, but not one of them dealt with occupational poisoning . </P> <P> In Trinidad in the West Indies the brightly colored seeds are strung into bracelets and worn around the wrist or ankle to ward off jumbies or evil spirits and "mal - yeux"--the evil eye . The Tamils use Abrus seeds of different colors . The red variety with black eye is the most common, but there are black, white and green varieties as well . </P> <P> In March 2012 a recall was issued for bracelets made using Jequirity Beans sold by the Eden Project and other outlets in the UK . </P> <P> The seeds of Abrus precatorius are very consistent in weight . Formerly Indians used these seeds to weigh gold using a measure called a Ratti, where 8 Ratti = 1 Masha; 12 Masha = 1 Tola (11.6 Grams). </P>

The crab's eye the deadly love bean