ARTtalk
...the link between you, the visual artist, and the manufacturer
of art materials.
established 1990
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Ever since they first appeared some 35,000 years ago, beads have remained cyclically popular throughout the cultures of the world. Originally made from locally-found materials such as plant seeds or sea shells, many regions and cultures have developed specific bead types and construction techniques according to provincial concepts of art, design, and function.
In prehistoric villages, ivory was harvested from Siberian mammoths and used to carve tiny beads, which were then thought to have enhanced fertility. In ancient Greece, fossilized tree resin was used to make amber beads. Pearl beads have always been especially popular with many cultures.
Turquoise stone beads were valued by the ancients as a charm against bad fortune. This popularity may have led to the earliest-known manufacturing of Egyptian faience beads around 4000 B.C. These were constructed from crushed quartz crystals and lime that were heated to a glassy state. Before firing, a glaze of copper salts was added to produce a bluish tint, giving the beads a turquoise appearance. When heated with soda, faience became glass, which made glass beads possible and also helped to launch glassmaking technology.
Originally, the most popular glass bead was the eye bead, so named because it contained a circular pattern of glass that was pressed into a base of another color. These types of beads were first developed in the Bronze Age in western Europe; and by 300 B.C. the Phoenicians had perfected them into brilliantly-colored millefiori beads. These became so valued that, by the age of the Renaissance, they became a principal trading currency for Spanish and Portuguese explorers.
As metalworking technology became more advanced, beads were crafted into many types of shapes and textures from semi-precious and precious metals, such as gold. By 1500 B.C. in Crete, metal beads were being ornately cast and cold-constructed into floral shapes. Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian cultures had been manufacturing metal beads long before this, where the earliest-known gold beads were formed into the shape of seeds, perhaps as tribute to the first organic beads.
Originally, bead necklaces were manufactured by simply boring a hole through a seed, wood, or seashell and then lacing them on a string. Other natural materials that have been used to create beads include carved ivory, animal horns, pearl, abalone, fossilized amber, and practically any other organic material that you can drill a hole in.
Since it is so common and malleable, clay was (and still is) a good medium for beads. When wet, clay beads can be hand-crafted or pressed into molds to form a variety of shapes. Later, a glaze of color or patterns can be applied and the beads heated (fired) to a stone-hard state. Ceramic beads (clay and terra-cotta) are among the oldest beads known to man and are often painted or shaped with provincial patterns.
Semi-precious stones have also been traditionally used in the manufacture of highly-valued beads. These minerals were selected for their natural beauty and durability and include such stones as quartz, agate, turquoise, malachite, and garnet. Precious stones have always been prized for their color and appearance; and once they were able to be drilled through, they became most sought after.
Glass beads, such as millefiori, were manufactured by pulling pieces of molten glass into thin strands. These were bundled together and then plunged into more molten glass until they fused into a hollow rod. Once cooled, each bead was sliced from the end of the multicolored rod.
Venetian beads began by one person forming a large bubble of molten glass, while another slowly pulled the end to form a long, hollow tube. Once cooled, beads were cut from the end of the tube. To dull sharp edges, they were heated and tumbled with a mixture of ash and sand to prevent the beads from fusing together.
Today, plastic beads abound, since this material now offers the greatest range of visual appearance. Plastic can be formed to make beads of practically any texture, shape, color, or luster. There are literally thousands to choose from but, since plastic is so common, there is scant worth attached to these types of cosmetic beads.
Once an indication of wealth, beauty, or social standing, beads still perform a similar function (as is evident by a pearl necklace). Beads have also been historically prominent in religious reverence and ceremony, with the usage of Catholic and Buddhist rosary beads. In fact, the word "bead" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon biddan (to pray) and bede, meaning prayer. Beads are still regarded as ritual objects in some Arabic countries where certain cultures attach single blue beads to children, brides, animals, and even automobiles for good luck.
Beads were once valued to a level that the world sea trade community exchanged them for precious commodities during the 15th to the 19th Centuries. Some beads were so valued that they were routinely traded for palm oil, ivory, silver, and even gold. Elementary school history reminds us that the island of Manhattan was originally purchased from the indigenous Indians for some $24 worth of beads and trinkets.
Throughout history, beads have been an integral part of life in the world community. Like anything else, popularity comes and goes as values change and wealth becomes concentrated in new areas. Once used for trade or to socially communicate everything from wealth, age, rank, or marital status, beads now perform a more subtle and decorative function.
Santa Fe, NM, will once again host Bead Expo, which will feature a week full of festivities, exhibits, workshops, and seminar for artists and scholars from March 25-30, 1998. The bazaar will include unique and unusual beads from around the world, plus books, videotapes, findings, tools and bead supplies, as well as demonstrations. Open to the public March 27-29. (800) 732-6881; e-mail recursos@aol.com.
Lifetime TV's craft program "Handmade by Design" will feature a segment on using Liquitex Concentrated Artists Colors and Liquigems to decorate holiday ornaments. The show will air on December 12 at 12:30p.m. EST. Be sure to tune in.
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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 8 No. 2 -- December 1997