History of Beading
Costume jewellery has been highly popular across the globe for thousands of years. The Ancient Egyptians for example, particularly Cleopatra, are known to have worn decorative beaded necklaces.

In more recent times, where Bavaria, Bohemia and Silesia meet, it was (mainly) women working in the home environment that developed the beautiful patterns and intricate patterns in glass in order to compete with the wide range of jewellery that was already being manufactured.

However, beadwork is not only limited to glass.
A large variety of materials are traditionally used such as jet, wood, amber, gemstones, pottery, ceramic, metals, horn, coral, ivory, tortoiseshell, pearls etc. etc. Some modern materials such as plastics, nylon and even polycarbonate variants also have their place.

Above are some examples of the many variations of glass and ceramic beads that I import. As each newly received batch is totally unique, it allows me to create some highly individual items, some of which are clearly highlighted on this site's examples page.

My own materials are mainly sourced from as far afield as Czech Republic, Bohemia and in particular, Venice.