40,000 years of beading and I

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:11:29 +0000

Beadwork is a return to childhood. Some people might find it boring, some might find it creative, but I simply find it relaxing. I like to think about a model but not down to all details. I leave some room for instant creativity. One day while doing a necklace for my little daughter I realized that I don’t know that much about an activity that is so pleasant for me. So I searched the net for a bit and here is what I found…

Wow… so much to think about… history, art, fashion…

Beading has a long history (40,000 years).
Egyptians are often credited with creating the first glass beads
Most contemporary high-quality seed beeds are made in Japan or the Czech Republic. Here you can read more interesting facts like: “The recipe for a true black glass was lost during World War I, and modern black glass held to sunlight is a deep purple.”
I also found a collection of images of ancient creations and a dedicated bead site where you can find, for example, that Manhattan island was not sold for beads after all.
There are lots of beads museums around the world like:
Beads were used as money in lots of cultures and between cultures.
Beads are made from all kinds of materials from glass, plastic, rock and metal to organic sources like seeds, wood and shells.

And here is a collection of my own creations. Enjoy!

Skill Clue » Crafts

40,000 years of beading and I