The Art Of Beading
The Technique
The centuries-old technique of beadwork is still used today for everything from children's crafts to detailed sculptures. Using just a string and some beads, incredible work can be made before any extra tools are even introduced. Fair trade aims to keep traditional techniques alive, so many beaded products are made, especially jewelry.
We carry many beaded jewelry options at Latitudes Fair Trade, and while some pieces share characteristics, the styles and types of beads vary. Join us as we take you behind the bead, where you'll see what makes all these beaded pieces so different.
Recycled Glass Beads
We start our journey in Ghana, where the group Global Mamas handmakes the beads for their jewelry from recycled glass bottles. The bottles are ground down by hand into a very fine powder. Depending on the beads being made, they may use a granite stone, mortar and pestle, or a combination of both to grind the glass.
If the beads are to be colored, pigment is added to the powder. The powder then goes into moulds. To make the hole for the beads to be strung, a piece of cassava leaf stalk may be inserted into each hole of the mould.
Once prepared, using a long spatula, the moulds are placed into a fire-heated kiln until the powder becomes a molten mass. At this point, the beads are left to cool and be finished. Some will be sanded smooth, and others will be hand-painted with a pin. This process varies depending on what bead is being made. No matter what, you end up with beads as beautiful and unique as the people who make them.
Paper Beads
Step into Uganda, where you will find the artisans of Project Have Hope, a group where women in the Acholi Quarter are provided with dignified work, education, and empowerment. One of their specialties is paper beads.
Recycled paper is cut into triangles and hand-rolled to shape each bead. Size, color, and thickness all depend on the paper used. What you're left with are incredibly unique beads that are skillfully put together alongside other accents, including bone or glass, to create stunning jewelry.
Despite being made of paper, the jewelry is incredibly durable and made for daily wear. While we wouldn't recommend wearing them for a swim, washing your hands, exercising, and walking in the rain are all okay for your Project Have Hope jewelry.
Kantha Beads
Let's travel over to India and Bangladesh, where we will meet the artisans of WorldFinds. Another case of upcycling materials, they craft the beads for their jewelry from upcycled wood and kantha. Kantha refers to the traditional textile in India made of layers of worn cotton saris sewn together with a distinctive running stitch.Ā
Each bead starts as wood carved out of scraps salvaged from a local furniture factory. The wood bead is then covered with a small piece of kantha fabric. The beads are then transformed into jewelry, often alongside other elements such as metallic paillettes, brass metal accent beads, or mixed-metal seed beads.
Handmade from upcycled and recycled materials, each piece of WorldFinds jewelry is incredibly unique.
No Bead Is The Same
An intense amount of time and energy goes into something as small as a single bead before it even gets into the stage of being made into jewelry.
When you choose fair trade, you support the people who make it all by hand. You also support the use of sustainable materials and help age-old techniques continue for generations to come.
Explore our jewelry selection to shop handmade earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings from around the world. You just might be able to recognize recycled glass, paper, and kantha beads just by looking now.
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Written by Marketing and Communications Manager, Emma Sue Larramore