History and Wearable Art
The art of bead making can be traced to the year 38,000 BC. Wearing beads for adornment is just as old. In Africa, the bodem bead is believed to posses mystical powers. The exact origin of the dZi bead of Tibet is still a mystery. Tibetan oral history holds that these beads once adorned the gods.
Beads originally were made of stone, bone fossils and shells. Bead making reached new heights with the glass bead makers in Europe. The sixteenth-century boom in European exploration created a demand for glass trade beads. In 1764, Venetian bead makers alone produced 2.3 million pounds of beads.
European explorers traders and missionaries carried glass trade beads around the world. In Africa, beads were traded for palm oil, slaves, gold, and ivory. In North America, beads were offered to Native Americans as gifts of friendship and traded for land and fur.
European trade beads, some dating to the sixteenth century and earlier, are still in circulation. I primarily use 19 th century Venetian and vintage glass beads with a blend of contemporary to create unique jewelry. My designs highlight the beads beauty and hint at their long and mysterious history. I hope you see and feel the beauty of these creations. Wear them and share in a part of the world’s history.
Beads originally were made of stone, bone fossils and shells. Bead making reached new heights with the glass bead makers in Europe. The sixteenth-century boom in European exploration created a demand for glass trade beads. In 1764, Venetian bead makers alone produced 2.3 million pounds of beads.
European explorers traders and missionaries carried glass trade beads around the world. In Africa, beads were traded for palm oil, slaves, gold, and ivory. In North America, beads were offered to Native Americans as gifts of friendship and traded for land and fur.
European trade beads, some dating to the sixteenth century and earlier, are still in circulation. I primarily use 19 th century Venetian and vintage glass beads with a blend of contemporary to create unique jewelry. My designs highlight the beads beauty and hint at their long and mysterious history. I hope you see and feel the beauty of these creations. Wear them and share in a part of the world’s history.