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INTERESTING BEAD FACTS
& HISTORY My current work is a culmination of several years of treasure hunting in far off places, meeting wonderful families in small shops around the world and making new friends willing to tell me a tale or two. The more remote the area, the more genuine the love that comes along with the bead. I hope you find my pieces as enjoyable to wear as I have enjoyed collecting and creating them for you. STONE STORIES is where you can read about my adventures in bead collecting and also find a few interesting tales about beads that I’ve learned along the way. BALI SILVER
THAI SILVER - MODERN
THAI SILVER - PRIMITIVE
TIBETAN FOCAL BEADS
JATIM OR MAJAPAHIT FOCAL BEADS - PRIMITIVE
JATIM OR MAJAPAHIT FOCAL BEADS - MODERN
KALIMANTAN ENGAGEMENT BEADS - 18th-19th CENTURY
The lukut sekala (rosette) bead is still used by the Orang Ulu tribe of Borneo. A mother must decide about giving her daughter her priced possession and family heirloom on the occasion of her marriage as a form of dowry. Good beads will give the bride respect in her new in-laws family. The lukut sekala bead is also presented during a child adoption ceremony. The beads value lies in its rarity. It is believed that there are only 40 or 50 genuine beads in Borneo and a few dozen more in Kalimantan. Researchers consider the Venetian glass beads from the 18th to 19th century an imitation of the much older priceless bead. These glass beads were found in the primitive areas of Java by “runners” who bring them to my friend for export to me. LAPIS LAZULI
CORAL
SOUTH PACIFIC SEA SHELLS - BRONZE OYSTER
SOUTH PACIFIC SEA SHELLS - TURQUOISE
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Instead of melting down coins, modern day
Bali silver is bought in small pellets, melted and then
mixed with copper to strengthen the alloy. The liquid
mix is poured into molds and repeatedly squeezed between
rollers to create thin flat sheets. These sheets are
hammered to form half-cup shapes which are then soldered
together before being decorated with silver wire and
granulation balls. Silver wire is used to create shapes
and swirls on the beads and granulation balls are used
to fill in the shapes. This silver process has been used
for centuries in Nepal, India, Vietnam, Morocco, Ethiopia,
Mexico and South America; but it is the granulation process
that makes Bali silver beads unique in the world. 
I also discovered a fine silver factory in
Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand on my last visit. They created
a heavier, more masculine bead, much different than the feminine
Bali silver. The factory was closed for repair but I will be
returning there in November to watch the creation of these exquisite
hand-made beads. Look for new pieces featuring these silver beads
in a future 2011 web update. Join our
The primitive silver beads of northern Thailand are
made in a similar way as those of Bali except that old metal shell
casings are used to strengthen the alloy. The pressed sheets of
silver are wrapped around a bamboo cane to form a tube that is soldered
at the seam. A short metal rod is then used to tap the end of each
bead tube to create rims. A small wire ring is soldered onto each rim.
The bead must now be made solid so that hammered patterns can be created
using ordinary household items. A soft and malleable concoction of
plantation rubber, soya and pig oil is used to fill the bead prior to the
hammered design being created. For an antique effect, the beads are then
soaked in black hair dye for 4 hours. In Chiang Mai, I was able to find
primitive beads and pendants from nearby Tibet and Kashmir. 
The artisans of Tibet are masters of repousse’, a highly
specialized craft of stamping and carving patterns into semiprecious metals.
They also create a variety of pendants and focal beads using ‘Tibet coral’,
amber, turquoise and horn. The majority of my Tibetan pieces come from
Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and at the weekend market in Bangkok. 
My real job as a landscape designer takes me to Indonesia every
18 months or so with my Landscape Architect husband, Greg Boyer. A few years
ago, in addition to our usual stop in Bali, we explored Western Java to get a
few containers of garden art for a special landscape project. After a few
failed attempts at a suitable driver to help us conduct our business, we met
a young man who soon became our dear friend. Near the end of our trip we were
invited to his home for a traditional Javanese dinner. We soon learned the
complexity of this young entepeneur. He and his wife own an art gallery and
refinish antique furniture for export to Holland as well as antique
puppets and
ancient hand made kriess. While enjoying a fabulous Javanese meal we noticed a
small group of men gathering in his front courtyard laughing and enjoying hot
tea while telling tales to each other. They were “runners”, bringing antique
items, mostly kriess, from far off families. They were patiently waiting to see
if our friend would buy them for export. What a great idea! He now has his
runners search for antique beads for me. The 18th century Jatim beads shown here
are from his runners. They are much more fragile than the modern ones shown below.
Jatim is derived from the word Java and Timor, the 2 regions
where the majority of these primitive glass focal beads are created. The beads
pictured here are newer and more durable than those shown above. I find most of
these newer beads in a little shop by a bridge in Ubud, Bali and have been told
that they are from Kalimantan, Indonesia.
As far as the people of Central Borneo are concerned, the lukut
sekala is the King of Beads. The origin is still a mystery but unsubstantiated belief
is they came from Egypt. It is said that the lekut sekala is worth one life. In the old
days of inter-tribal warfare, this bead was used to ransom a high-ranking captive. A
long house soon to be defeated by a stronger enemy would buy off attackers with a payment
of valuable beads.
The climb to the lapis mine is unique in all of world history. A route over
icy rivers, snowbound passes, and minefields, all at high altitudes makes for interesting
tales. In the 1980’s Russian helicopters riddled the entire area with millions of butterfly
mines making the journey all the more treacherous. The final half-mile is straight up an icy
mountain to the entrance. A small path leads to open chambers deep in the mountain where miners
chisel and hammer away at cave walls to loosen pieces of pure blue rock. The mules are left at
the base of the hill and the porters slide the bags of mined lapis down the icy slopes ahead of
themselves to set off any stray mines. Every ounce of lapis throughout time has come from this
one vein in Afghanistan near the border of Pakistan. This vein of lapis runs north into Russia
but it is feared that, after thousands of years, there is only 30 years of lapis left to mine.
Lapis is a symbol of purity and protection against evil. It was used in Egypt in 3000 B.C. and
Pakistan and Central Asia from as early as 6500 B.C.
Coral is found in the Mediterranean Sea all along the North African coast but
most of today’s coral is harvested from the Pacific Ocean around Japan. This is where the largest
pieces of coral can be found. The white matrix inside the stalk distinguishes it from all imitations.
Once harvested the raw coral is soaked in hydrochloric acid for a few minutes to remove the calcified
skin. A skilled cutter will then study the branch to decide the optimum way of achieving the most
pieces. He creates blanks that are drilled, quickly shaped on a grinding wheel, then strung for
inspection by another skilled craftsman who grades and sorts the pieces by size and color.
With my travels taking me to French Polynesia more often these days, I have been
acquiring a variety of seashells to incorporate into future pieces. Whenever possible I select pieces
that have not been dyed. This year, at the Papeete market, I found natural antique Oyster seashell
pendants created from the large shells used to culture the famous Tahitian Pearls.
I also found seashells with a natural turquoise shade that have been creatively cut,
carved and polished for earrings and pendants. Look for new pieces on the next update to the website.