The June Program meeting of the Bead Society will focus on the videos of the World on a String DVD series created by Diana Friedberg with support from the Bead Society. The videos are all available now on YouTube! We will be viewing selected parts of Volume One, The Eternal Bead and discussing some of the interesting observations.  

Your assignment is to view Part One: The Eternal Bead. It is 93 minutes long. You can go to the transcript and select parts you want to view, such as Venetian Bead Production at 49:55 minutes, or Roman Face Beads at 33:33 minutes into the video. You can also speed up the video through the settings in YouTube if you want to save time.  The URL is https://youtu.be/MUSGl0oI4Js.

In 2004 The Bead Society made bead history with the screening of Diana Friedberg's documentary World on a String at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The first part of this five-part series, The Eternal Bead, was shown to an invited audience of more than 500 people. Diana Friedberg's idea became a reality with a generous grant from the Bead Society. The history of Beads is very important to the Bead Society!  

Join us on Zoom!  Come even if you haven't been able to see all of the video. All are welcome! 

Wednesday June 5th, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
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​Bead Society business meeting is at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​Elections will take place at this meeting! 

Spring is finally here in Southern California! What inspires you in your jewelry making or beadwork? Flowers, poppies, bees, greening of landscapes, birds, bugs? Artists have drawn upon the imagery of spring to convey profound truths about the human condition and the interconnectedness of all living things.* Contemporary artists often use spring symbolism as a metaphor for personal transformation and collective renewal. Bring a piece of your artwork, jewelry or beadwork that is inspired by Spring! Tell us about it! This will be a sharing session. 

Wednesday May 1st, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
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Join us on Zoom!  All are welcome! ​​
​Bead Society business meeting is at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​

Just a reminder: our Bead Society Pop Up is Saturday, May 4th from 10 am to 4 pm at the Veterans Memorial Complex. We are taking over the Rotunda and Lobby with over 20 vendors. See the Pop Up page at this website for pictures of some of our vendors' offerings! 

*Renewal and Rebirth: Symbolism of Spring in Art History
Posted by / Pinot's Palette Federal Way. Date Posted / 04-01-2024 

​Spring Clean of your Bead Collection: How to organize and De-Stash your beads! 
With Josephine with Settara Stones

Think about the benefit of organizing the beads now to make it easier for you and your loved ones later. For the past 25 years Josephine has collected beads and made jewelry with them. About 8 years ago she had her first experience with selling a huge bead collection. She learned a lot in 8 years about how to prepare your collection to be de-stashed.  "I think what I love about this whole process is the idea of recycling beads back into the world where people can be inspired to use them and not feel like they have to buy new manufactured beads. But use what's already here, and maybe be more sustainable. There is a process to taking a bead collection and getting to the point where you can put it on a table to sell it. That is what I hope to share with you all in April!"

Join us on Zoom!  All are welcome! 

Wednesday April 3rd, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
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​Bead Society business meeting at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​

The March 6th online program meeting of the Bead Society will feature Terry Henry talking about Copper Electroforming. Terry teaches online classes on this technique. She will share the amazing possibilities for working with electroforming. She'll talk about using electroforming and how she uses in her work.

From her bio, Terry's early career was as a geologist and hydrologist. "The science of art continues to inspire my glass and metal-formed art pieces." Terry spoke last year to our group about working with glass and flamethrowing.  Join us for another intereting adventure into electroforming. 


Wednesday Mar 6th, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
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All are welcome! 
​Bead Society business meeting at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​

For our February 7th Program meeting, we are focusing on Ethnic Jewelry and Beads. It will be a sharing session. 

As mentioned in the book, Ethnic Jewelry (1), edited by John Mack, "the color and exuberance of ethnic jewelry have always attracted collectors and travelers." African beadwork, American Indian silver and turquoise, jade from the Far East, and shellwork from the Pacific are just some of the varieties of "gorgeous jewelry". 

How has your collecting or creating of jewelry been influenced by ethnic jewelry? Think about it! Bring some examples of your ethnic jewelry to the meeting. 

Dona Z. Meilach, author of Ethnic Jewelry: Design & Inspiration for Collectors & Craftsmen (2) refers to ethnic jewelry as an "intercontinental jewelry buffet." Ethnic Jewelry includes tribal jewelry, ritual items, and more. It does not include faddish designs such as Native American jewelry sold at roadside stands but made in other countries where there is cheap labor. 

In many cultures, jewelry communicates messages of "love, hate, power, hierarchy, aggression, pride, birth, growing up, maleness, femaleness and more." What does that mean to you? When you see celebrities on the red carpet with their jewels, do you think of this? 

Come join us for an interesting discussion and sharing of Ethnic Jewelry and Beads! 

Wednesday  February 7th, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
All are welcome! ​Join us! 
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Business meeting at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​​

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1. Mack, John ed., Ethnic Jewelry. Harry N, Abrams Publishers: New York, 1988. [Bead Society has three copies of this book.]
2. Meilach, Dona Z. Ethnic Jewelry: Design & Inspiration for Collectors & Craftsmen. Crown Publishers: New York, 1981.
​Pictures courtesy of our Pop Up vendors. 

On Wednesday, January 3rd, the Bead Society is going to have a Member Showcase, Members will show their work and talk about themselves and their art. It should be an interesting meeting and a great way to learn about some of our members! Above is a picture of some of the participants and or their work. We will see a wide range of jewelry, and the use of beads in various formats! We hope that it gets your creative juices flowing! Join us! 

Wednesday  January 3rd, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
All are welcome! ​Join us! 
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Business meeting at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​

​One of our members is now also part of another group that she would like us to know about. Diana Friedberg has joined the Ethnic Arts Council which is a group in Los Angeles which celebrates the ethnic arts and which includes beads, of course. They have an active and very interesting membership with lots of talks and visits to wonderful homes with great collections. 
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People can browse and see if they are interested in being part of the group. It also extends knowledge of ethnic arts and puts beads in the highlight. I am trying to emphasize the importance of beads in the overall picture as well, so it could be informative for our bead members to help spread the word within the group.

Diana says they have a great once a year dinner at the Fowler Museum at UCLA with a silent auction. It is a really mixed group of males and females who are all hospitable and generous in sharing knowledge and homes. Their website is  https://ethnicartscouncil.org/

Submitted by Diana Friedberg, past president, The Bead Society.

This new column on Beads in the News will highlight articles and press releases and news items that focus on beads and jewelry. If you would like to contribute to this column, please send your input to [email protected]. ​

The Living, Breathing Brooches of the Yucatán by ROXANNE HOORN, Atlas Obscura SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
The live, jewel-encrusted beetles called maquechs are tied to an ancient Mayan legend, but some worry for their future. This article talks about these wonderful bejewelled beetles from Yucatán, Mexico. Sold to tourists, the beetles are attached with a pin and a chain. They scurry all over the wearer's blouse. They are adorned with fake diamonds, ruby, emeralds, pearls, or velvety fabric. The beetles can go months or years without eating.  The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. has a collection of these beetles with and without adornment! 
For more information, click on this link to Atlas Obscura. 

Dusting Off Your Pearls, New York Times, September 9, 2023, p. A3.
The New York Times advises us that Peals are back in and even men are wearing them! 

If you have ideas for this column, please send your input to [email protected]. ​
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Orange is the new Black. Well, not exactly in terms of beads. On October 4th at the Bead Society Program meeting, we will be discussing both Black & Orange Beads! These are the colors of autumn, Halloween and mystery! Bring your Orange and Black beads or finished jewelry and objects with those colors, and we will have an entertaining sharing session! 

Wednesday  October 4th, 7 pm Pacific Time
Zoom Meeting ID: 899 883 2615, Passcode: Beads 
All are welcome! ​
Business meeting at 6:30 pm PT at the same Zoom address! ​

Beads can symbolize union as they look better when they are paired with each other to make a necklace or chains. . .