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Bead Society of Great Britain
@bsgb.bsky.social
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Formed in 1989, the Bead Society of Great Britain is open to all who appreciate beads; how they're made, how to use them, and their history.
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Hands of the Oracle. Artist: Jon Eric Riis
Date: 1999. Medium: Silk & metallic yarns with freshwater pearls & coral beads; tapestry weave; approx. 26 x 13 cm each. Collection: The Textile Museum, Washington DC, from the collection of Jerome & Deena Kaplan⁣
⁣
#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
Reposted from ArchaeologyArt on Instagram Hands of the Oracle. Artist: Jon Eric Riis (American, born 1945) Date: 1999. Medium: Silk and metallic yarns with freshwater pearls and coral beads; tapestry weave; approx. 26 x 13 cm each. Collection: The Textile Museum, Washington DC, from the collection of Jerome and Deena Kaplan⁣ ⁣ Riis based this vision on a Filipino santo - a carved devotional figure - of Saint Lucy carrying her own eyes on a plate, a detail drawn from medieval legends that say she kept her sight even after the eyes were removed.⁣ Museum catalogues describe it soberly as a small tapestry in the shape of gloves, but online the same images circulate as fantasy gear.⁣
November 19, 2025 at 5:50 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Beaded Lampshades

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #BeadedLampshades
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Beaded Lampshades from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest or the link in-post
November 16, 2025 at 5:06 PM
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Roman mosaic glass beads from the collection of Sir Daniel Donohue

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #Bonhams #SirDanielDonohue #RomanMosaicGlassBeads
Roman mosaic glass beads from the collection of Sir Daniel Donohue Dated circa 1st Century BCE/CE, from left to right : 1. of opaque blue glass bisected by a white band with three palmettes and three lotus flowers with delicate red, blue, black and yellow details 2. of opaque red glass with a green central band with four yellow rosettes 3. of opaque black glass with a central band of red, green, yellow and white geometric pattern 4. of opaque red glass with a white band framed with a black and yellow wave pattern all four beads measure 9mm-12mm high The beads were sold at auction by Bonhams, London, April 2011 Roman mosaic glass beads from the collection of Sir Daniel Donohue Dated circa 1st Century BCE/CE, from left to right : 1. of opaque blue glass bisected by a white band with three palmettes and three lotus flowers with delicate red, blue, black and yellow details 2. of opaque red glass with a green central band with four yellow rosettes 3. of opaque black glass with a central band of red, green, yellow and white geometric pattern 4. of opaque red glass with a white band framed with a black and yellow wave pattern all four beads measure 9mm-12mm high The beads were sold at auction by Bonhams, London, April 2011
November 11, 2025 at 4:07 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy: Flower and Leaf Bead Brooches and Dress Clips by Miriam Haskell

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #MiriamHaskell #FrankHess
Sunday Beady Eye Candy: Flower and Leaf Bead Brooches and Dress Clips by Miriam Haskell from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post source : Pinterest formed in 1989, the Bead Society of Great Britain is open to all who appreciate beads; how they are made, how to use them & their history if you're not a member yet please join us! see our Linktree for how to join please note, we do not buy or sell beads
November 9, 2025 at 4:39 PM
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the advertising and copy deadline for Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 150 is the 20th of November 2025 ~ there's still time to write an article, a review or a pattern for inclusion!

#BeadSocietyGB #BeadSocietyOfGreatBritain #BSGBJournal #ContentWithTheContent #MembersOnly
the advertising and copy deadline for Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 150 is the 20th of November 2025 ~ there's still time to write an article, a review or a pattern for inclusion! thank you to our advertisers and to the members who have already submitted articles, patterns and reviews. if you are a Bead Society of Great Britain member and would like to place an ad or contribute to Journals 151, 152 or 153 please see page 2 of any Journal for details; the advertising and copy deadlines for 2025/26 are shown in the picture. formed in 1989, the Bead Society of Great Britain is open to all who appreciate beads; how they are made, how to use them & their history if you're not a member yet please join us! see our Linktree for how to join please note, we do not buy or sell beads but many of our members do
November 4, 2025 at 6:55 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy: Citrine Beads

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #Citrine
Sunday Beady Eye Candy: Citrine Beads from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile Formed in 1989, the Bead Society of Great Britain is open to all who appreciate beads; how they are made, how to use them & their history ~ we do not buy or sell beads
November 2, 2025 at 4:14 PM
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Another day, another theft from a museum ... this time from the Oakland Museum of California's storage facility

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
Another day, another theft from a museum ... this time from the Oakland Museum of California's storage facility. Police in California are investigating the theft of more than 1,000 items from the museum’s stores of Native American artefacts and metalwork jewellery, including the Rutilated Quartz Dome Neckpiece by Florence Resnikoff (pictured) The burglary occurred in the early morning hours of the 15th of October 2025 at an off-site storage facility of the Oakland Museum of California, Oakland Police said in a news release. The theft occurred four days before thieves made off with priceless Napoleonic jewels from the world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre, in broad daylight. The Oakland Police Department declined to provide further details, but said in its news release that police are working with a unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that specialises in art crime, including theft, forgery or antiquities and cultural property trafficking. Another day, another theft from a museum ... this time from the Oakland Museum of California's storage facility. Police in California are investigating the theft of more than 1,000 items from the museum’s stores of Native American artefacts and metalwork jewellery, including the Rutilated Quartz Dome Neckpiece by Florence Resnikoff (pictured) The burglary occurred in the early morning hours of the 15th of October 2025 at an off-site storage facility of the Oakland Museum of California, Oakland Police said in a news release. The theft occurred four days before thieves made off with priceless Napoleonic jewels from the world’s most-visited museum, the Louvre, in broad daylight. The Oakland Police Department declined to provide further details, but said in its news release that police are working with a unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that specialises in art crime, including theft, forgery or antiquities and cultural property trafficking. .
November 1, 2025 at 4:04 PM
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Gold Vaishnavite wedding necklace (Kolhapuri Sag) with fine turquoise & gold beads from Maharashtra, India. Dated 19th century & later the necklace is 41cm long and weighs 21g

Source: Michael Backman London

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
Gold Vaishnavite wedding necklace (Kolhapuri Sag) with fine turquoise & gold beads from Maharashtra, India. Dated 19th century & later the necklace is 41cm long and weighs 21g The necklace comprises 26 pendant beads made of sheet gold and decorated with symbols associated with Vishnu, along with dozens of very fine faceted gold beads and dozens of small turquoise beads of matched size. The necklace also has a traditional Indian gold clasp. Each pendant bead has a small loop at the base through which an additional bead could be threaded. The Vaishnavite gold pendant beads form a complete set for this type of wedding necklace worn in Maharashtra. Often they would also be worn with a central, large thali pendant. The small gold beads and the turquoise beads are not traditional and presumably are later. The threading is definitely later. Source: Michael Backman London Gold Vaishnavite wedding necklace (Kolhapuri Sag) with fine turquoise & gold beads from Maharashtra, India. Dated 19th century & later the necklace is 41cm long and weighs 21g The necklace comprises 26 pendant beads made of sheet gold and decorated with symbols associated with Vishnu, along with dozens of very fine faceted gold beads and dozens of small turquoise beads of matched size. The necklace also has a traditional Indian gold clasp. Each pendant bead has a small loop at the base through which an additional bead could be threaded. The Vaishnavite gold pendant beads form a complete set for this type of wedding necklace worn in Maharashtra. Often they would also be worn with a central, large thali pendant. The small gold beads and the turquoise beads are not traditional and presumably are later. The threading is definitely later. Source: Michael Backman London
October 29, 2025 at 10:18 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Ancient Carved Carnelian

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #Carnelian #AncientBeads #Scarabs #Amulets
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Ancient Carved Carnelian from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post
October 26, 2025 at 3:36 PM
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26cm string of faience glass leaf beads from the Egyptian New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, during the reign of Amenhotep III, 1390–1352 BCE

Excavated by the Museum of Modern Art expedition, 1910–11 CE, Palace of Amenhotep III, Malqata, Thebes, Upper Egypt.

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
26cm string of faience glass leaf beads from the Egyptian New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, during the reign of Amenhotep III, 1390–1352 BCE Excavated by the Museum of Modern Art expedition, 1910–11 CE, Palace of Amenhotep III, Malqata, Thebes, Upper Egypt. Acquisition Number 11.215.345, Rogers Fund #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #FaienceGlassBeads #LeafBeads #AncientEgypt #AncientBeads
October 23, 2025 at 10:24 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy: Jadeite Bead Jewellery

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #ImperialJade #Jadeite
Sunday Beady Eye Candy: Jadeite Bead Jewellery from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post
October 19, 2025 at 3:57 PM
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In Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 149, we review Anglo-Saxon Beads 400-700 AD by Sue Heaser

www.sueheaser.com

#BeadSocietyGB #BSGBJournal149 #Journal149 #BookReview #AngloSaxonBeads #SueHeaser #FarthingsPublishing
In Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 149, we review Anglo-Saxon Beads 400-700 AD by Sue Heaser The subtitle of the book is 'A Visual Guide to Types and Techniques' and throughout it's pages it is definitely visually stimulating - and real pictorial antidote to the usual pages and pages of texts and descriptions with a few photos in plates at the end! The book can be ordered from Farthings Publishing - there's a clickable link to Sue Heaser's website in our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post Paperback ISBN : 978 8 28245 667 7 In Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 149, we review Anglo-Saxon Beads 400-700 AD by Sue Heaser The subtitle of the book is 'A Visual Guide to Types and Techniques' and throughout it's pages it is definitely visually stimulating - and real pictorial antidote to the usual pages and pages of texts and descriptions with a few photos in plates at the end! The book can be ordered from Farthings Publishing - there's a clickable link to Sue Heaser's website in our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post Paperback ISBN : 978 8 28245 667 7
October 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM
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Sunday Beady Eyed Candy : Seed Pearl Bead Jewellery

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U
Sunday Beady Eyed Candy : Seed Pearl Bead Jewellery from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post
October 12, 2025 at 4:45 PM
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Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 149 has been sent to our members

This issue is for Summer/Autumn 2025 and includes Advert & Copy Deadlines for the next four Journals, should members wish to advertise with us

#BeadsSocietyGB #BSGBJournal #BSGBJournal149 #Journal149 #HistoryOfBeads
Bead Society of Great Britain Journal 149 has been sent to our members This issue is for Summer/Autumn 2025 and includes Advert & Copy Deadlines for the next four Journals, should members wish to advertise with us Our front and back cover stars are some unexpected Beady Eye Candy shared by BSGB Secretary Carole Morris not a member yet? please join us, tap the Linktree in our profile! #BeadsSocietyGB #BSGBJournal #BSGBJournal149 #Journal149 #HistoryOfBeads
October 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Opal Beads

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #OpalBeads
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Opal Beads from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post
October 5, 2025 at 3:29 PM
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Did Archaeologists Find Western Europe's Oldest Shell Jewellery Workshop?

archaeology.org/news/2025/09...

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
Did Archaeologists Find Western Europe's Oldest Shell Jewellery Workshop? SAINT-CÉSAIRE, FRANCE, 26/9/25 ~ A multi-institutional research team working at the prehistoric site of La-Roche-à-Pierrot in Saint-Césaire identified the oldest known shell jewellery workshop in western Europe, according to a statement released by the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). Excavations uncovered a number of pierced shells as well as yellow and red pigments. However, it was the absence of wear marks and the presence of unperforated shells that led archaeologists to believe the site was used to manufacture finished products from raw materials. The shells came from the Atlantic coast, which was around 60 miles away at the time, while the pigments were sourced from a site at least 25 miles away. This attests to significant human mobility and long-distance trade networks established by the artefacts’ creators. The site dates to between 55,000 and 42,000 years ago, a period that experts associate with the so-called Châtelperronian culture, which inhabited parts of France and northern Spain. This was a significant transitional era in Western Europe when Neanderthals were in the process of being replaced by Homo sapiens. The researchers are not certain who exactly made the shell jewellery, but note the evidence indicates that Châtelperronian people may have been influenced by—or may even have been part of—a very early group of Homo sapiens who moved into the region There's a clickable link to this and a related article on our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post
October 1, 2025 at 7:06 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Opulent Pearl Earrings

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #Pearls
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Opulent Pearl Earrings from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post
September 28, 2025 at 3:04 PM
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The bracelet of Pharaoh Amenemope has been stolen by a restoration specialist at the Egyptian Museum & melted down. Dated to 1000 BCE, it contained a spherical lapis lazuli bead & was sold by the thief for only £4,439.28 ($4,000) at a gold workshop in Cairo

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
The bracelet of Pharaoh Amenemope has been stolen by a restoration specialist at the Egyptian Museum and melted down. Dated back to 1000 BCE, it contained a spherical lapis lazuli bead and was sold by the thief for only £4,439.28 ($4,000) at a gold workshop in Cairo #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #PharaohAmenemope #EgyptianMuseumCairo
September 23, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Moroccan Style

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #MoroccanStyle #MoroccanBeads
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Moroccan Style from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest, tap the Linktree in our profile or the link in-post #SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #MoroccanStyle #MoroccanBeads
September 21, 2025 at 3:37 PM
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rare wampum beads found in Canada

archaeology.org/news/2025/09...

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
Ferryland, Canada : CBC reports that an exceptionally rare set of Native American wampum beads was discovered during excavations at the seventeenth-century Colony of Avalon in Ferryland, Newfoundland, one of the earliest and best preserved English colonial sites in North America. The settlement was established in 1621 by Sir George Calvert, later known as Lord Baltimore, as a refuge for Catholics facing persecution in England. Almost 2 million artefacts have been recovered at the site since archaeological work began over three decades ago, but the seven small shell beads found during a recent investigation are the first of their kind ever to have been unearthed in the colony or anywhere else in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. White and purple wampum beads, which were fashioned from quahog and whelk shells, were an integral part of Native American culture. They were worn as decoration, used to record important events, and exchanged as a form of currency between European and Native American traders, which is how they likely ended up so far away in the distant North Atlantic colony Source : https://archaeology.org/news/2025/09/18/rare-wampum-beads-found-at-canadas-colony-of-avalon/
September 20, 2025 at 2:25 PM
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A single strand necklace of 30 chrysoprase beads averaging approximately 15mm in diameter, the clasp composed of a coral bead flanked by a pair of 18 karat white gold rondelles set with small round diamonds, length 47cm.

Sold at auction by Sothebys, June 2007

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
A single strand necklace composed of 30 chrysoprase beads averaging approximately 15mm in diameter, the clasp composed of a coral bead flanked by a pair of 18 karat white gold rondelles set with small round diamonds, length 47cm. Sold at auction by Sothebys, June 2007 Sale price: 8,400 USD
September 18, 2025 at 12:24 PM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Mixed Media Assemblage Installations by Anne Samat

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #AnneSamat
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Mixed Media Assemblage Installations by Anne Samat tap the linktree in our profile or the link in-post
September 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM
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A lady never discusses the size of her bead stash ...

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #BeadHumour #BeadStash #DowntonAbbey
A lady never discusses the size of her bead stash ...
September 11, 2025 at 10:02 AM
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Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Sapphire Beads

from a selection pinned with provenance to our Sweepings board on Pinterest

pin.it/7xPqhB69U

#SundayBeadyEyeCandy #BeadyEyeCandy #BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads #SapphireBeads
Sunday Beady Eye Candy : Sapphire Beads
September 7, 2025 at 2:32 PM
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A market street full of glittering jewellery stalls awaits customers in Hong Kong

photo : Luca Mascaro on Flickr, January 2014

#BeadSocietyGB #Beads #HistoryOfBeads
A market street full of glittering jewellery stalls awaits customers in Hong Kong photo : Luca Mascaro on Flickr, January 2014
September 3, 2025 at 8:05 PM