Bead for a whole World in Liberec!
All roads for glass bead lovers lead to Crystal Valley. Please accept our invitation to a small showcase of what is being created with them in various corners of the world. Welcome to the global realm ruled by Queen Bead.
Welcome to the exhibition BEADS FOR THE WHOLE WORLD, which will kick off the bead craze with an opening reception on August 24 at 5 p.m. at Kavárna Pošta in Liberec! What will you see? You will see a tiny glass ornament as perceived and used by people living tens of thousands of kilometers away from where it is made. They are the ones who crafted the items you can see here. Their skill, taste, and spirit are imprinted in them. The seed bead is, in fact, a true bridge between people of different cultures, faiths, interests, and desires. A bridge full of imagination, just like life itself.
Bead for a whole World
PRECIOSA ORNELA with the factories in Desná and Zásada is the largest producer of seed beads in the world, producing a staggering 3.5 million kilograms annually. If we were to string a year’s production end to end, we would encircle our planet several times over with a vibrant colorful ring. Nowhere else but at PRECIOSA ORNELA can such a vast range of shapes, colours, sizes and surface finishes be produced and combined – more than 255,000 in total!
In Europe, seed beads are mainly a means of self-expression in hobby items and have also become popular with fashion designers. In the east of the continent, homes are decorated with beaded embroidered pictures. In America, they are also used to create traditional ornaments or souvenirs of indigenous cultures and, of course, they cannot be missed at any carnival. What would Africa be without its colourful beadwork? And what souvenirs would pilgrims bring home from the holy sites of Islam? Seed beads are also popular in Asia, where they are used to decorate clothes, jewellery and interiors. After all, isn't India a country where beads can be found almost everywhere?
For lovers of glass seed beads, all roads lead to Crystal Valley. Please accept our invitation to a small sample of what is being made from them in various corners of the world. Welcome to the global empire ruled by the Queen Bead.
(Petr Nový, State Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou)
