By the way, our shop has much more than our site. If there is something you need as you and your family hunker down, but don't see, call us at (301-891-2323) or email us at bead.appointments@gmail.com. Right now our gem and crystal collection is bigger and better than ever.
]]>But the reality is no less fascinating, as thoroughly explained in a paper by Rosanna Falabella..."
]]>But the reality is no less fascinating, as thoroughly explained in a new paper by our friend Rosanna Falabella, in her paper, "Imitation Amber Beads of Phenolic Resin from the African Trade," published in the fabulous "Beads: Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers" (28:3-15 (2016)).
As Rosanna explains, these beads are actually an early plastic known as phenolic resins, and akin to Bakelite, and date from about 1910, with production continuing perhaps as late as after World War II. As she describes the process:
Phenolic resin is much harder, more rigid, and more durable than the natural amber it imitates. Artisans in Africa have taken advantage of these traits to rework the original beads into beautiful and sometimes intricate works of art (Figure 5). The simplest modi cation is cross- drilling (drilling a hole perpendicular to the original one) which allows the beads to be worn at. A second common modi cation is reshaping cross-drilled beads into soft diamond shapes, a traditional shape found in Africa among real amber beads.
Just a lovely article delving into the history of these beautiful beads
Our official "sneak peak" pre-opening is October 1, 2017. We still have a few things to work out -- but our entire staff is so excited to be back and bigger than ever! After our sneak peak on October 1, we're going to close for another couple of days to finish -- with our grand re-opening on Friday. After that, we'll have normal hours!
]]>We will have a copy for you to peruse at our grand opening this weekend! In the meantime, you can order your own copy from Billy directly at Wild Beads of Africa -- you won't regret it!
]]>We are totally excited to let everyone know that our new space is under construction! We have more beads, more gifts, more gem stones when we open Mid-August!
Our new address will be 235 Carroll Street, NW, Washington DC 20012!!!
]]>Of course, this means that all of our beads are packed and so we will not be able to fill any orders until later this month! Please let us know if there's anything we can do in the meantime to help! Wish us luck!
]]>Our new address is 235 Carroll Street NW, Washington, DC 20012.
Many thanks to all of our customers who have stopped in to wish us well! We deeply appreciate all your love and support!!!
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And many more. The closer you look the funnier it gets. Says Cheryl Moody, senior artist at S & A Beads and the designer of the window, "The election news is so depressing, I felt I had to do something to lighten my own mood." According to Larry Silverman, owner of S & A, "Our customers really love it. Many have suggested additional placards. I am very proud of the wit and the craftsmanship evident in this shop window."
Larry is not content to create the forms in metal, but he manipulates them as well: What happens when a strip is folded or twisted together with another strip of the same type? To achieve these effects in metal jewelry, the artist has recourse to 3-D printing and other state of the art tools. The solution to the geometry and engineering problems turns out to be the most elegant and intriguing personal ornaments I have seen in a very long while.
Check out our shop window this week-end to see L.S. Watson's beautiful jewelry in person -- and than walk around to the other stores in Takoma Park to see wonderful art from all of the Art Hop participants! Math majors have always understood the beauty of their subject. Now all of us can see it, and wear it as well.
]]>"... the blue beads buried with the women turned out to have originated from the same glass workshop in Amarna that adorned King Tutankhamun at his funeral in 1323 BCE. King Tut´s golden deathmask contains stripes of blue glass in the headdress, as well as in the inlay of his false beard."
Just wonderful to think of ancient Scandinavians trading amber to ancient Egyptians for glass beads! Read the full article here: http://www.haaretz.com/jewish/archaeology/1.707620?v=FB36077E706EF857155BE36F897EFDC5
]]>So we in the bead collecting community watched with bated breath as Mrs. Lindstrom's collection was auctioned off earlier this week. There are some very lucky bead buyers out there -- but for the rest of us, just flipping through the catalog (which includes some Pan Am days pictures and discussion of her charitable work with Tibetan refugees) is quite fascinating! http://www.beadsocietyofnorcal.org/pdfs/BSNC_Newsletter_April_2013.pdf. The Tibetan silver needle case on a strand of unbelievable Tibetan coral was one of the highlights!
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The BeadStore is proud to be offering handmade paper from Nepal. Lokta paper, as it is called, is made from the bark of a laurel type bush that grows in the understory of the forests in the middle mountains of the Himalayan range. Nepalis have been earning a livelihood from harvesting bark and making lokta paper for nearly 2000 years. Ancient Hindu and Buddhist sacred books, some of which still survive, were transcribed on this paper, which is acid free, insect resistant and very durable. Nepal's long awaited democratic constitution, which was just ratified days ago, is also transcribed on this extraordinary hand crafted paper. In addition to its archival properties, lotka paper is very beautiful.
We offer lokta paper in large sheets which are ideal for gift wrap and craft projects, as diaries and note books in different sizes and designs, as cards and picture frames. One fabulous value is a stationary set consisting of 12 sheets of writing paper, 6 envelopes, and 6 post cards, all packaged beautifully in a filing envelope, ideal for saving keepsakes and letters. Only $15.
We are especially proud to be selling this product for two reasons. First is sustainability. Lokta plants are self-generating. All that is needed is a healthy forest in which the plants can grow. The paper trade encourages the people of Nepal to preserve and protect their forest by providing a steady income stream, especially to women, which depends on keeping the forest healthy. In this regard, lokta production is like eco-tourism, harvesting of medicinal products and wild fruit and vegetables, all of which support the people as they support the forest.
The second reason is about us. The use of handmade paper to express our visions and ideas is a kind of antidote to the hyperactive and frenetic world of instant messages, snap chats and the like which shape and distort our daily consciousness. This beautiful paper, embellished with ancient motifs and floral patterns, is a reminder to be mindful. Great gifts for ourselves and our loved ones. Each product contains a short explanation of the paper’s origins and importance.
We don’t usually reveal our sources, but make an exception in this case. When you get to Kathmandu, Nepal, don’t miss the Shangri-La Book Shop on Yak & Yeti Street, right across the way from the gate of the elegant Yak & Yeti Hotel. It is a very small shop, smaller even than our own bead store in Takoma Park. MD. But what an extraordinary collection of books and CD’s about Himalayan art, culture, religion, music and politics. Fabulous coffee table books on Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture, and ancient history! Also great post cards and extraordinary music CD’s with mantras and ragas (we bought six and gave them to friends and family with a bent for eastern meditations and rhythms. Great hits as gifts!) And of course this wonderful Lotka paper!
]]>How do you illustrate a 100+ page decision of the Unites Supreme Court with beads? Well see for yourself how Emily Silverman, General Manager of the small shop that has been a fixture of downtown Takoma for nearly 30 years, did it in her shop window. Emily celebrates this decision with a celebration of color as only a bead artist like her can celebrate it. Floating among the floating beads, like a libretto of an opera, are short quotes from Mr. Justice Kennedy’s landmark decision. The quotes down to the typeface are the product of Emily’s brother Abe, an attorney in Princeton, NJ, who suggested this theme.
Speaking of Justice, try as we might, our photos don’t do the window justice. Enjoy the photos but come to S & A Beads to see for yourself, and make your own celebration of color. We are on the July 4 parade route and will be open 12 to 5:00pm that day.
]]>Mark your calendars for the annual Takoma Park Art Hop on April 24 - 26, from 10am to 4pm. Every year at the end of April, Takoma Park transforms itself into an arts district. This year over 70 distinguished artists from around the Capitol region will be showing and selling some of their best work in the shops, restaurants, galleries and on the streets of Takoma – from Takoma Park, MD to Takoma, DC. For more details on events, artists and transportation see Mainstreet Takoma.
This year, S & A Beads is especially delighted and honored to be displaying the bead and fabric work of Dr. Sirkku M. Sky Hiltunen, known to friends and admirers as Dr. Sky.
Dr. Sky is a long time customer of S & A Beads. We especially love her ability to work with rare large pieces that so many of our customers admire but don’t quite know what to do with. Her sense of color and balance is impeccable. In addition to being a great bead artist, she is an outstanding painter, set designer and clothing maker, among other gifts. In addition and most importantly, there is a spiritual side of her work, which while impossible to describe, is hard not to feel when in the presence of her work.
There is another side to Dr. Sky, which while separate and apart from her jewelry line, will be of great interest to our customers. Dr. Sky is a pioneer in using art to heal wounded souls. If the field of Art Therapy had a guru, Dr. Sky would be it. Dr. Sky is one of the visionaries behind The Art and Drama Therapy Institute, a facility in northeast Washington, DC that works with intellectually disabled adults. When I visited last December, I was blown away by the vibrant intellectual and artistic buzz that permeated the place. Everybody there, staff and patients alike, was actively engaged in creating and enjoying beautiful things. Not what you would expect at a place for autistic, brain injured and other seriously disabled persons. I have been to fabulous galleries and museums, I have visited art studios and theaters, and I have spent time in facilities for severely handicapped people; but not all at once and not in the same place before.
As the Institute’s mission statement puts it, “Individuals with Differing Abilities are highly evolved teachers and … creativity is a Divine gift, given as a birth right to each one of us. ADTI tirelessly nurtures their creativity and shares their special gifts with others through ... concerts ...and plays [and other artistic activities]. Most importantly, ADTI aims to change the attitudes of others in society, to value the Individuals with Differing Abilities as our teachers of patience, unconditional acceptance, and unconditional love.”
You don’t have to be a great artist to be an excellent therapist. And certainly many fine artists have little in the way of therapeutic abilities.
But every once in a very long while, a great healer is also a brilliant artist. Such a person is Dr. Sky. Come see her work and meet her in person during Art Hop. We promise you: you will be inspired and delighted.
Larry Silverman
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Tomorrow she and her husband, sister and mother are going to Boston, to visit another sister who has been under siege from the relentless Boston snows for a long time. Lisa had three hours for us. In addition to serving the intrepid customers who made it through the door, she spent the time fixing the broken jewelry of her Boston sister. Worked out great for all of us.
I am the other walking distance staff member at S & A Beads. So this morning Kathleen and I and our granddaughter’s dog, a Beagle named Waffle, so-called for the color of his fur, hiked to the shop, and spent some hours there. Fortunately, all the hardy souls that wandered in the shop liked dogs, in particular beagles. Which was a good thing. I told Waffle that he had NO FUTURE in retail. Although he is very interested in and very friendly to customers, which is a good quality for a sales person, he tends to howl inappropriately, which is definitely a negative in closing sales. He also paces and stares out the front door of the shop. We all abandoned the field around 2:30, at the urging of our daughter and General Manager, Emily. Kathleen concurred. We had a lovely walk back home, though chillier than the morning walk.
Friday, March 6, our people made it in. Meanwhile, our web store is lots of fun. www.beadstore.com . Happy to report views are up in this weather. Lots of window shopping (and Apple shopping as well) from the comfort of home.
Thank you,
Larry
]]>This September and October, Jews around the world will celebrate the New Year of 5775. The High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) are ushered in and out by mighty blasts of the ram’s horn, known as the shofar. The blasts of the shofar were first heard on Mount Sinai as Moses received the Ten Commandments from on High. And from that days thousands of years ago to this day, Jews have sounded the shofar to commemorate great spiritual occasions. We are pleased this year to offer a real shofar from Israel (for $145).
Click here to view more photos!
This is our way of wishing all our customers and friends the traditional New Year’s greeting:
L’Shanah Tovah Tikatavu
May You be Inscribed for a Good Year.
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Photo by Sarah Voisin/The Washington Post
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The big news in Takoma Park, MD these days is the opening of the Republic Restaurant, a place for fine dining and lovely décor, just a few doors down from our shop.
S & A Beads is proud to have had a hand in enhancing the décor, in particular the distinctive lamps that hang above the bar. The metal base of the lamp shades pictured here were found by one of the restaurant’s owners in an antique store some years ago. They evidently were parts of World War II airplane fuselages. These found objects found a new purpose as lamp shades when the restaurant opened. To balance the distinctly masculine character of the metal pieces, restaurant interior designer Molly Allen decided to add short strings of glass beads with a deep red and crystal theme. And she called upon S & A Beads to help her realize her vision.
Our Senior Artist, Cheryl Moody, fabricated 250 small strands, no two of which are the same, with each strand length varying, giving an overall wave effect. She was ably assisted by S & A Beads’ Emily Silverman and Carlista Martin. The beads add sparkle and femininity to the lamps, reflect the brilliant color palette of the entire restaurant, and echo the unique Takoma Park vibe.
Beaded lamps feature colors of deep red, clear crystal, blush pink, iridescent lavender, enameled cloisonné beads, brass and silver wire wrapping, and Austrian and Chinese leaded glass crystals, in pear shapes, tear drops and faceted spheres.
We are grateful to the Republic for giving us the chance to help solve their design and ornamentation challenges.
Some other unique restaurants within a short walk from our shop are: |
Mark's Kitchen |
Takoma Bistro |
Capital City Cheesecake |
Middle East Cuisine & Olive Lounge |
Roscoe's Neapolitan Pizzeria |
So when you visit us at S & A Beads in Takoma Park, MD, whether to browse our fabulous collection or to solve your own design challenges, why not make a day of it with a fine meal!
Happy 2014 everybody!
6929 Laurel Ave. Takoma Park, M.D.
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"Our Commercial Department just finished up a project for S&A Beads in Takoma Park. Check out our blog post on how much they were able to save: S&A Beads will save 8,704 kWh each year, amounting to a CO2 emission reduction of 6.1 metric tons." Elysian Facebook page
Read how on their blog page.
]]>"Lots of bad news from Mali in Africa this year: civil war, terrorism, destruction of historic artifacts and on and on. The good news is the Tuareg people who wander the deserts of the Sahel on their camels are still making beautiful sterling silver jewelry. Some of the best Tuareg work has found its way to S & A Beads in Takoma Park. Come see for yourself."
- from store owner, Larry Silverman
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