When I Fell In Love with Collecting Beautiful Beads
Every piece of handmade jewelry I create begins with a single bead. Here’s the story of how I fell in love with collecting colorful beads, gemstones, and tiny treasures that have eventually become pieces of one-of-a-kind jewelry.
Visiting My First Bead Shop
I fell in love with collecting beads when I wandered into a cool little shop called Diva Beads in my small home town. It smelled of Nag Champa, and cool jazz was playing on the speakers. There were hundreds of little dishes filled with candy-colored goodness.
I could spend hours looking and touching every bead, collecting them in a basket, then purchasing them piece by piece, bead by bead, charm by charm.
I was obsessed.
Since then, I have been searching for and collecting beautiful beads to make my one-of-a-kind handmade jewelry. Each bead is precious to me.
Sourcing Beads; One-of-a-Kind and Popular Designs
I don’t source my beads from big supply chains or discount sites, and I don’t buy in bulk, so all my designs are original and one-of-a-kind. I do, however, go back to popular designs like super-long strands of confetti seed bead earrings and the beautiful Mala bead necklaces. If you want something similar to a piece that has sold, I may be able to make if the supplies are available.
Finding Inspiration for New Designs
One of my favorite vendors is Jaime at The Bead Mix. She collects Miyuki beads and makes beautiful mixes including light and dark beads to create layers of color, and matte and transparent beads to provide texture and highlights. I usually have no idea what I want to bead on the loom until I receive Jaime’s bead mixes. I lay them out, and yes, I separate them. Can you see the layers of colors?
Then I search for a pattern that I can envision my piece in with the colors I have. This pattern shown here was designed by Chris Franchetti Michaels. It was just the perfect inspiration for my Bohemian Tapestry bracelet and earring set.
Here is the work in progress. It looks like a fabric ribbon, right?
Keep your eyes open for this set. It will be available soon!
A Variety Of Beautiful Beads
Shiny, matte, natural shaped stones, fire-polished and chiseled perfection, the natural and infused color in the glass beads that look like miniature paintings, and the tiniest seed beads; I love them all!
“Take Me Home”
To me, beads aren’t just objects; they’re tiny vessels of beauty, light, color, and possibility.
Maybe that’s why every piece of jewelry I make begins the same way—not with a design, but with a bead that whispers, “Take me home.”