Welcome!
“Life is too short to wear boring jewelry.”
I love beads. I love playing with them. I love creating things with them. I love shopping for them! I love looking at them. I love looking at books about them.
I might be slightly addicted.
Recently I became curious. Who made the first beads? Where did they live? How old are beads? What were the first beads made from? Why are they popular?
Hmmm….time for a blog!
Do you remember your first beads?
‘My favorite thing in my wardrobe is my jewelry.’ - Kate Reardon
Beads have been around for a very long time. They are one of the things archeologists look for to help date a site. Unlike fragile and perishable things like fabrics and even food stuffs, beads tend to stay in their original form.
So how long is very long?
Some scientists have dated beads found from the Neolithic period. This is an era called the New Stone Age and is dated around 10,000 BCE to about 2,000 BCE.
Indigenous peoples from around the world have all created beads as a part of their lives. They were used as decorations, trade and ceremonial items.
We still use them for these reasons today.
Early beads were made from natural stone such as jasper, agate, quartz and turquoise. Beads were also created from bone, shell, seeds, horn, antlers, pearls, quills and clay. Later beads were made from gold and glass.
Egyptian glass beads have been found from 1365 BCE.
The Venetians held a monopoly on glass beads for almost 600 years in the European markets. The first Bead Guild found in records dates back to 1224 AD.
In Columbus’ logbook he wrote on Oct 12, 1492 that natives of San Salvador Island were given red caps and glass beads.
‘Jewelry is a treasure that lasts from one generation to another.’
- Dana Cheng
In 1622 a glass factory was built near Jamestown, Virginia. (Less than a year later a raiding party of Native Americans burnt it down!)
Lewis and Clark carried with them 33 lbs of small trade beads.
By the way, Manhattan Island was NOT purchased in 1625 with beads by Peter Minuit and Dutch settlers.
That story was written in the 19th century!
Different people groups developed different colors, motifs and styles. In North America the Cheyenne used triangles. The Iroquois incorporated Tree of Life and curves while the Apsaalooke (Crow) used elk teeth.
Traditionally sinew was used for stitching as it has little to no elasticity. The Plains cultures especially used sinew on hide decoration.
“All my jewelry has stories.”
- Eva Green
Some cultures had story bead necklaces that were created and handed down from generation to generation. Symbols and figures were carved into flat pieces of turquoise or stone, and then strung with other beads to tell a story.
In the American SouthWest turquoise beads were believed to bring good fortune, and protection.
In other cultures beads signified social status, and wealth. Beads showed who had authority, or were leaders. In some cultures certain types of beadwork were reserved for warriors only.
For more beautiful, vintage beaded dresses, check out my blog on flappers!
An example of bead embroidery.
I hope you have enjoyed this stroll through beading history, and come back to visit soon!
‘Til next time,
Some of the websites I visited while researching this blog, in no particular order:
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