COME BY TO SEE NEW WORK.
SHOULD BE GREAT WEATHER FOR ART-STUDIO-HOPPING.
ALL WEEKEND I’LL BE CELEBRATING MAKING MY 3000th NECKLACE, BRACELET OR EARRINGS. IT ONLY TOOK 24 YEARS. HA! BUT WHAT FUN ALONG THE WAY!
FRIDAY, AUG 16 FROM 6 TO 8 PM. wine and cheese to celebrate 3000.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUG 17 & 18 from 10 TO 4.
CATALOGUES FOUND AT HULL BUSINESSES. ALWAYS FREE.
A touch of whimsy always makes my day.
This lampwork glass bird is one of many whimsical beads Stephanie Sersich, Topsham, Maine, creates. Sersich today is 43 years old and introduced herself to the bead world at age 25 with a public lecture and an article in the legendary “Lapidary Journal.” Two big influences contributing to her success are her creative Mom and a major in metalsmithing and painting. As she says, “I learned engineering and color which led me to making my own glass beads.”
She then developed her own “Spiny Knotting” method to allow her to bind many of her colorful beads into a single bracelet or necklace. Check them out on her website sssbeads.com.
I have often wondered why I preferred the hunt for fabulous beads like Stephanie’s instead of making them. It has a lot to do with the fact that my youthful focus was on getting an English degree, living in Paris and Lisbon, and being a corporate HR professional. I didn’t buy my first bead until I was 50 and living in Hong Kong, entertaining myself while my husband organized his company’s South Asian footprint. But I loved the hunt! From the Hong Kong Jade Market to Beijing’s outdoor flea markets, Shanghai’s treasure-filled antique shops, from small entrepreneurial silver shops in Bali, to the giant pieces of turquoise I found in Tibet, and the amazing beads on small Indonesian islands of Sumba, Komodo, and Flores. For two years, I never thought of making my own beads. Just acquiring them.
And I can safely say that is true today, 25 years later. I was determined, however, to put my own creative stamp on each necklace. To balance color and texture, to be bold, chunky and fearless, but above all to never stop searching for the odd, eccentric, remarkable bead. And to do that, I expanded my search to fulfill the true definition of a bead: something with a hole in it which can be strung.
Stephanie’s bird and fiber dangle is 3.5″ and the pink Czech glass bead necklace is 24″. Featured in the necklace are molded glass pre-war German semi-circle beads plus glass flowers at the end of the necklace and in the earrings. $139.
“American Sleeping Beauty”
I remember when I was first introduced to American Sleeping Beauty Turquoise at one of my beloved bead shows in Northern California.
Whether it was Oakland or Santa Barbara; what the exact date was; I have no recall. I saw the clarity of a robin blue strand of really big faceted turquoise beads, and just like the first Tiffany boxed gift you receive, you are transfixed by the color and you know you are in the presence of something iconic.
The strand was expensive ($39 per bead), but I intuitively knew it was worth it. And guess what? I never saw turquoise from the American Beauty mine in Globe, Arizona, again. After my research for this blog, I know why: the mine closed in 2012*.
Close-up of the front of the centerpiece showing artistic use of boring ole electroplate. There are two pieces: the flower shape on top and the rectangle of dyed magnesite on the bottom.
Turquoise mines in that area date back to the Anasazi era (200 BC to AD1500) of Native Americans. The Navajos mined it into the 1900s. An American entrepreneur took it over in the ‘60s and closed it in 2012 to mine copper.What made this necklace possible was my discovery of the creative centerpiece at my favorite Boston area bead show this past October. Currently it is the only show I attend since I am well-stocked after 24 years in this endeavor! But like all acquirers, I can’t stop looking! And buying….
The vendor didn’t tell me the name of the designer even though I asked, so I can’t give credit. I have two more to use later. Can you see me smiling?
What attracted me to this centerpiece was the creative use of copper electroplate, usually seen as smooth and sleek. This inspired artist made it to the consistency of mashed potatoes and just piled it on, with a few balls of pure copper accenting the bumps. S/he picked dyed magnesite (often confused as turquoise, and, worse, often claimed as turquoise by unscrupulous vendors), then cleverly added a “flower” in the spirit of more is better. There is even more: the top bead of frosted rock crystal is artistically embellished, crowned by a generous circle to attach to a necklace.
The back of the centerpiece:
electroplated copper on dyed magnesite.
The third component to this magnificent piece (forgive my abandonment of humility) are the Swarovski pearls which the world-famous crystal producer made by using a crystal instead of the usual shell irritant, resulting in faux pearls in a myriad of colors! So this necklace is the classic high/low I often see in home design magazines. They are reasonably priced, but a quality pearl: the low to the above two highs.
Now for the summary: this American Beauty Turquoise necklace is 20” plus a 3” long centerpiece. $259.00 including earrings.
*Not to say American Beauty Turquoise cannot be found. Many people, especially the miners, have stashes of it. Prices have increased, as they do for all scarce commodities.
Week 44/Drawer 44: November 1, 2017: “109th Mala”
I remember buying this large Tibetan piece in the early 2000’s in New York City in a shop well-known for ethnic beads and objets. The price tag still stuck on the bottom said $150, but my note on the plastic bag said I paid $140…not my best negotiation! It was sold as an ear ornament from Gujarat. I accepted it as an ear ornament but when I looked up Gujarat, and learned it is in India, I doubted that was the true provenance.
This was clearly Tibetan. I’ve been there twice and have made necklaces with many pieces of their inlaid silver or brass with turquoise or coral: I know their style. So, I conducted a lengthy internet search and, after scrolling many pages on www.indianamulets.com.au, I found it! It was the only such piece out of a couple hundred images! To improve my negotiating image with my dear readers, allow me to inform you it was priced at $375, hanging on a silver chain.
On the keft, I present you the 109th mala (prayer bead).
Buddhists and Hindus pray with 108 beads knotted and strung. One prays by meditating, touching a bead and saying this mantra,
“All is well.
Everything is perfect.
Wisdom and compassion uphold every atom!”
then on to the next bead, until one reaches the 109th bead; called a stupa bead. A stupa is a Buddhist prayer hall and its steeple is in the exact shape of the centerpiece of this necklace. The 109th serves a very special purpose: a pause. The pause offers silence, a moment to offer gratitude, and a practical way to keep count of their mantras and chants. Faithful Buddhists don’t just go around the mala once; they can meditate for hours.
I was interested to learn the significance of 108 beads: it is a mathematical (12 Zodiac houses x 9 planets) metaphor for the omnipresent universe which is also our most innate self. I would need to meditate for a long time to understand that metaphor!
The necklace features turquoise cylinders from Drawer 44 separated by sterling silver beads with a silver clasp. I made a nautilus-style sterling silver loop to attach the mala to the necklace.
The centerpiece Tibetan stupa bead is mixed metals—silver and brass—rising in a pattern to the pinnacle which is modeled after a Lotus flower with six petals inset with turquoise and coral cabochons. This 109th mala was owned by someone who had the means to commission some very nice design and workmanship. It is strong, sturdy and magnificent! It is not heavy since it is hollow.
The necklace measures 25” and the mala is 5” long. Wear your silver earrings with it. $199.
“Chic Thrills” features a charming koi fish centerpiece I have had for a long time, waiting for the right mix of beads to show it off. Well, when nearly matching vintage orange Lucite (what plastic was called in the 1960’s) beads came into my possession, I had the answer. But what contrasting color to use? An odd green, don’t ask me why. I was so excited by the time I assembled the large faux pearl, the beetle wings and the small faux pearls, that I can’t remember how the colors all came together!
The fish is Asian in its origin as indicated by its large popping eyes and its elaborate tail display. It is a vintage piece perhaps made of resin with lots of nice carving marks on it.
The five beetle wings are iridescent and pointy and most unusual. A great conversation piece.
The necklace is almost 19″ long and the centerpiece dangle is 4″long.
Hammered gold-colored metal clasp, gold-filled wire connections in the dangle.
The price is $159 which includes earrings featuring green and orange beads with a beetle wing.
“A Smashing Good Time” is a classic sterling silver and turquoise necklace with a contemporary spin that the silver used here is a special basket weave pattern mastered by the Hill Tribes of northern Thailand. The clasp is also sterling silver by the Hill Tribes.
The turquoise chunky beads mix smooth and veined specimens of Chinese-mined turquoise stones.
The necklace is 23″ and the basket weave medallion is 2″ in diameter.
It is priced at $135.
“Flash Forward” is also color-forward: semi-precious amethyst beads matched with lime-dyed branch coral. The branch coral is bezeled with an electroplated gold bail for a shiny, blingy look. It is attached to the amethyst necklace and secured by two vermeil (gold plate over metal) beads. The necklace ends with more electroplated gold beads and a gold metal clasp.
Think of this piece as a fabulous good luck charm and wear it well!
The necklace measures 18″ and the centerpiece is 3″.
The price is $129.
Priscilla Beadle 