A Creative Space That Brings Happiness and Challenge

I have developed an interest in making bead chains at a later stage in my life. My husband fancies bead chains and he gets eager to research the bead’s history when he sees it. He totally admires a bead by the way he holds it and carefully turns it around to explore its sphere. One Christmas I was looking for a gift for him, and I wanted to give him something special that he will fancy and keep for life. I found very special hand-painted beads that were black with colorful Asian designs. And that’s when I made my first beads chain.

For ages, beads have had a symbolic meaning. Some people wore them for protection, others wore them for good luck, and some just wear them as a piece of jewelry. I have seen people use beads as a decorative accessory in their homes and I have watched them flick a beads chain for prayers. And because of my husband’s interest in these round stones, I myself began to admire them and I started collecting precious stone beads along with hand-painted designer beads.

I grew up in a culture that fancied gold over silver, but despite that cultural elegant definition, as a teenager, I developed an interest in sterling silver. I always opted to buy silver rather than gold, not because it was cheaper in price, but because I had an interest in its color and shine. I always thought it looked classier to wear as jewelry and fancier to display as an accessory. And once I mastered making bead chains, I decided that each piece I make has to have a silver ingredient.

So far, I have made a collection of bead chains. A couple of them are fully made of Silver beads, but with some, I decided to make them with precious stones and I included silver bead dividers to make them look fancier. What I enjoy most when I make bead chains is it allows me room to be creative as I design each piece. I buy the beads as I find them, and they have to either be precious stones or hand-painted to grab my interest. I also make sure that I always have silver beads supply gathered in different shapes and forms to incorporate that exquisite touch to every piece I make.

When I start making the bead chains, apart from the beads, I always prepare my scissors, a collection of plyers, a thread sealer, a soldering iron, along with other tools that enable me to craft my art piece. Each beads chain can take from two hours to four hours to finish, depending on its length and the details it requires to complete its tassel. And every time I finish a beads chain, I favorably twirl it with my hands, and I utter words of admiration. I also pass it on to my family members to hear their appreciation for my hard work, and sometimes I attentively listen to the comments they make to help me improve my techniques.

I plan to carry on with this hobby as long as my hands are capable to work with metal and silver. When I set up my workshop to work with beads, I step into a world of creativity and I kind of shut out the real world. It is my haven to sanity and my therapy when I am stressed and when despair takes over. It is a practice that allows me to innovate and create a delicate model, that is unique, each time I decide to craft it.

I am grateful that I found my creative, happy, and calm space. Have you found yours?