Bead Shop Interview: Ambrosia Beads

What is your business name, website and location?

*Ambrosia Bead Company

5607 Tieton Drive Suite 104

Yakima, WA 98908

(509) 972-3750

www.ambrosiabeadcompany.com

www.AmbrosiaBeadCompany.etsy.com

Is there anything unique about where your located?

*We are now located in a new building with a store front facing a major road. The natural lighting here is superb - we love it!

What kind of handmade art beads does your store sell? What types of materials do your customers prefer?

*We have handmade lampwork beads, ceramic beads, Polymer Clay, PMC beads and Sterling silver beads and charms. All made by artists in the USA!

*Sterling is always a favorite here and now I’d have to say ceramics is becoming very popular.

How do you stay current with the trends in the bead business?

*I’ve traveled to take classes in the lastest trends - I’ve also taken classes at the local college to learn new techniques. Catalogs and TV shows are also good ways to watch for new trends.

What are some of the important things you do for your business?

*We try to focus on customer service here - that’s what sets us apart from other bead stores and the craft stores. We also have a beading club that meets once a month to work on projects and socialize. (And eat good food of course!)

What role does education play in your business? Do you offer classes or tutorials?

*Education plays a huge part in our store. We offer tons of classes on weekends and mid-week. We bring in outside instructors if it’s a technique we don’t know how to do ourselves.

What kinds of art beads do you look for? Is there a bead you wish an artist would make for your store?

*The art beads that have been popular here so far are lampwork beads, ceramic beads and Sterling creations.

What plans do you have for the future?

*Keep up on the newest latest trends. Come up with fun ideas to keep bringing in the customers during these tough economic times. We still think beading is great for relieving stress!

What new bead trends are you excited about?

We are getting the most excited right now with Ceramic Beads and Recycled Jewelry (Steampunk Jewelry). There is so much you can do with both of those!

Beadmaker Interview-Lynn Davis

1. What is your personal name, business name, website and location?

My personal name is Lynn Davis, and my Etsy shop also uses that, www.lynndavis.etsy.com. I'm a native Texan living in the midwest almost ten years, at the moment in Saint Louis, Missouri. Lots of artists and hot glass creators in this town, it's all very encouraging. The blog is at http://z-llyynn.blogspot.com/ - the 'z' in front comes from an accidental typo years ago on some junk mail, and suddenly getting mail for ZLLYYNN, which I thought was fun and decided to use. Currently have the art bead Etsy shop, it's the newest one at www.expeditionD.etsy.com, and the finished jewelry is at www.lynndavis.etsy.com. I originally had both in the same location but found it was difficult to keep them together. I try to be a consistent blog writer, adding photos and new resources almost every day. I take pictures of the process and focus on studio safety, having heard too many artists say that they wish they had used more safe and healthy practices in their creative activities.

2. What kind of jewelry do you make? What types of materials do you prefer? what kinds of art beads do you use?

I like making jewelry that seems to have a hidden story, a sense of history and mystery to it. I am learning to use any materials needed for the piece, including metal, wire, fused glass, etched and beveled glass, sheet metal and polymer clay. I use different materials to make the parts, I don't try to make polymer clay look like glass and use glass instead. This has made me a student in the school of trial and error, not having a formal education in any of these. I recently got a small torch and am learning how to work with fine silver, and occasionally I use precious metal clay to make charms and components.

I think of my jewelry as faux-tiques or replicas and invented impossible objects. I use beads that come from molds I've created in polymer clay, carved or made off actual vintage items. No doorknob or faceplate is safe from my mold making materials! Travel is great by introducing new images and styles and helping the faux artifacts to have that sense of actual history. When possible I track down actual vintage pieces and purchase them, not to disassemble and re-purpose, but to act as inspiration and authentication for my creations.

I've started to collect interesting bits of metal from cans, boxes and packaging to explore using as found objects in the jewelry and making domed beads or settings with them. Some of the imagery on packaging is very visually interesting.

3. How did you get into jewelry design? What are some of the important things you do for your business?

I love wearing jewelry, especially unusual and one of a kind pieces, and when I started out it was more difficult to find the vintage and faux vintage findings and pieces to use, so I started making my own pieces to wear. I make each piece, whether bead, component or finished jewelry, as if I were going to wear it myself, so the feeling and style of the pieces reflect my taste. I don't try to follow trends or other artists' successes although it's impossible to work in a vaccuum so other artists do influence me. I read a lot of books, especially those set in other times and places, to give my mind something to work with in creating, as I believe the inventor in all of use needs a spark to get started.

4. What is your workspace like and how do you work in your studio? What is a typical day like?

I moved into a house here in Saint Louis and have two studios. The reason is that some work needs lots of natural light and is clean and needs to stay pristine, and some activities are messy, create fumes and shards, and need a spot away from the main living area to vent, hose down messes and keep away from food preparation and eating. Studio A is upstairs with natural light, where the assembly, photography and computer work is done. It's large and airy with a big closet for storing the bead supplies, buffer and jewelry tools. Studio B is in the basement away from the living areas, with large sink and tools dedicated to jewelry making. No food or drink comes into Studio B, because of the flux, patina chemicals, glass cutting areas and other things that shouldn't be eaten or drunk. Jewelry and beadmaking is messy, that comes as no surprise I'm sure. All the hot tools (dedicated polymer clay oven, butane torch, soldering iron, kiln) are in Studio B. There are vents and fans in the windows to remove the fumes, and a fire extinguisher that has never been needed but is always handy.

I'm very lucky to have two spaces that can have work in progress available and set up all the time, because I grab moments when I can to do little bits at a time. On the weekends I do the parts that take a long time, like setting up the glass for fusing, so I can kick off a kiln load in the evening, or get up an hour early and make some wire work before I leave for the day.

5. How do you stay inspired and motivated?

I don't make the jewelry full time, so every piece is very special to me. I carry a 3x5 card spiral bound notebook with me to catch fleeting ideas, or make notes. When a new piece of glass comes out of the kiln, I carry it in my pocket and look at it for a couple of days to get a sense of what it will become. The fun thing about jewelry is you can always have a do-over, if something doesn't quite look the way it should it can be taken apart and the units made over into something new. Cut the glass and bevel, fuse again and make a new piece.

I get bead and finding catalogs and look through them to let the shapes, colors and styles inspire me. I know it's not possible for me to cast my own brass (although I've considered casting pewter) so I let the images become part of my visual vocabulary and later influence my work. When I'm creating, I try to stay open to anything that happens and not consider anything a success or failure because too many times I have gone back to a component with fresh eyes and seen a different aspect of it.

Movies can be very inspiring, especially period pieces where the jewelry and costumes are from an earlier age or a different geographical location. Science fiction shows also have interesting textures and images in the sets and costumes. Just being open to images as they present themselves.

The motivation comes from the fact that if I'm not creating, I'm incomplete in some ways. When I first moved to Saint Louis all my art supplies were packed in storage for six months and I found myself drawing with pencil and paper just to have an outlet. Creating and inventing is automatic to me, I've always done some kind of creative work. Narrowing down to jewelry was the difficult part, I also enjoy making handmade books, spinning, dyeing and knitting yarn, and fabric dye and surface design. I also do collages, and use the paper images to make my handmade shipping boxes.

6. What kinds of art beads do you look for? Is there a bead you wish an artist would make for you?

I love glass lampwork beads, and because of my own torch fears I have not gone toward making glass lampwork beads. There are vintage cast glass beads, very time consuming and highly detailed, that I wish were being made today but they would be difficult to replicate today. Cast pewter beads amaze me, especially those with high levels of detail or words and phrases cast into them. Artists are doing amazing things with polymer clay, lots of color and very contemporary images and textures.

7. What beady plans do you have for the future? Do you have new designs or ideas you will be exploring soon?

I like to develop new techniques and do the testing and research/development to get the materials to respond to my needs, at the moment I'm working with glass and enamels, to find ways to fuse them together to get the vintage glass looks I want. I'm experimenting with using my bevel grinder to turn the fused glass pieces into gem-like faceted glass, both clear and colored glass. I'm testing ways to combine my printmaking and fabric surface design techniques for mark-making into polymer clay and glass to create unique focal components. The article in the Spring 2008 Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine was on using molds with polymer clay to make distinctive pieces and how to antique and patina them. In the Summer 2008 Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine the next article is on image transfers and using translucent polymer clay to create highly glossy finished items that look like enameled copper.

I'm excited about getting the etching solution to use on copper and creating some metal designs with vintage images and lettering on them. I have this idea about making faux scientific instruments like astrolabes and compasses with moving parts and metal connections, that look like artifacts or machine age implements.

8. If you have a discount code you would like to give our readers, please list it here, including the expiration date:

ARTBEAD-4-16-2008 for free shipping and 10% off purchases in either Etsy site for beads or finished jewelry - Expires 5-1-2008

Bead Shop Interview: Bello Modo

My business name is Bello Modo, Italian for 'Beautiful Way'. I wanted a name that would reflect my desire to aid in the search for beautiful and functional beads, findings, and jewelry making tools and supplies for people like me who love beads and want good quality at reasonable prices.

I live in Olympia, Washington, on a 5 acre plot in a rural location. In my previous life I ran a specialty nursery, but a car accident and resulting surgeries sidelined me and I eventually found myself discovering beading and fell into a whole new life. I went to an Embellishment Show and was totally smitten by the beauty, color, love and excitement of beading. I started taking glass bead making classes and never looked back.

Robin Poff Lampwork Bead

My long term goal was/is to make finished jewelry with my beads and sell it to galleries. As I traveled along this path I realized that I needed more control over the quality and pricing of components to go with my beads, and began purchasing supplies to accomplish my goal. Then I realized that it would work best for me if I sold the beads I was discovering, in essence, sharing my finds with others like myself, and helping myself by recouping some of my investment. I decided a website and internet business would be the most compatible with my studio life, so I could fill orders, stay home and get some work done too. So, bellomodo.com was born, and now two years later, I am still working on the website, getting it fine tuned and adding new and interesting beads and products that I find along the way.

I am in the final stages of completing a new shop here on my property, to house my business, office, and studio. We have moved most of our stock into the main floor and are in the process of making a home for everything, a very satisfying, if time consuming process! The second floor will house the office, art studio for picture taking and marketing, and a compilation room for finishing jewelry. The rest of the building will house the studio where lampworking and metal working will take place. I expect the studio to take at least another 6 to 8 weeks, and maybe more to get finished. I am looking forward to making beads again as the studio I was using is partly dismantled so I have not been able to make beads since last fall.

Back to the store: I offer among the Swarovski Crystals, Japanese Seed beads, specialty findings and stringing supplies a nice selection of handmade beads and findings. I offer ceramic beads and pendants made by a wonderful couple from Bulgaria Vladislav and Kremena Ivanova, also Marsha Neal's Ceramic Beads will soon grace the pages of our website. I also offer the wonderfully pleasing polymer clay beads made by Heather Powers, as well as glass beads made by myself, Robin Poff, Paula Radke, and soon Karen Bye. I offer findings by Green Girl, Marti Brown, Holly Gage, Burgard Studio, and Saki Silver. I am always on the lookout for beads and findings I think deserve attention, such as the great resin beads I recently found. They are made in Germany, and have a quality to the finish that is more attractive than any I have seen before. The shapes are more interesting too, shaped like pods and rocks, and some are even plated with precious metals.

Humblebeads by Heather Powers

As for what our customers prefer, online we sell a lot of Vintaj Natural Brass, Delica Beads and multi beads mixes, C-lon threads and cords, and Swarovski Crystals. In the handmade arena, we sell Green Girl beads well online, due I think to how familiar people are with them. We sell a much wider array of products at shows, lots of crystals and findings, and handmade beads really shine at shows, no surprise to anyone, as seeing is believing!

As our website ages we are selling more online. I strive to stock products that have value, that are beautiful, functional and intrinsically desirable. I struggle to explain myself here, but what I really want to do is be of assistance to my customers, to make available products that will help them to make better pieces, to further the cause so to speak of their own art. Similar to what I want to do for myself I guess, and in the process we all benefit.

One of my business policies is to ship free. The shipping fee thing has gotten so out of control, with many businesses making a profit on shipping. I consider shipping to be a business expense, and as such consider it to be part of my overhead. I am mindful of prices, striving to get a fair price, one that allows the artist to profit too, but one that makes it possible for a reasonable mark-up. I find that my customers reorder much more often and I think it has to do with the shipping policy. In this day of high gas prices, I find shopping on the internet to be more practical. I can stay home, and spend my precious free time in my garden or studio, and make decisions about what to purchase on the internet, at a time of day or night of my choosing. No gas required!

Recently I upgraded the software for the website so that I can add a Learning Center, with a glossary of terms and techniques, Articles and Reviews about products and how to make use of them, including Tutorials, and a Customer Gallery. I plan to add a color inspiration page as well, posting pictures to inspire. Along with the new software on the site came a Wish List feature for customers to use to save products in for future consideration, as well as the ability to look back in their order history to see what the have purchased previously. Of course, all of this is in process, and labor of love that is on-going.

Clasp by Holly Gage

How do I stay tuned into trends in the bead business? Well, I read every magazine, attend every show I can, read everything on the net possible, watch color trends, and perhaps most importantly, listen to my own heart, and follow the inspiration that the world brings. I love color, and am so inspired by interesting color combinations. In my garden I see all sorts of color and texture combinations that lead the imagination in new directions.

Classes, and education: I am planning on offering classes in the studio after the building is finally finished. *Generally, the business is online only but we will host open houses once or twice a year, inviting regular customers in to the studio. I look forward to getting to this stage!

When considering the competition from cheap imports and knockoffs, I just don't worry about it. In the glass world, there are always knock-offs, but the difference in quality is huge, and I do what I can to educate people about the differences. I operate on the philosophy that people will gravitate towards beauty. I guess I don't expect to appeal to everyone, just those interested in quality and who appreciate handmade beads and supplies. My silk cords are hand dyed in Oregon. Much cheaper ones are available from China, but I prefer the relationship I have with my supplier and the quality that she delivers. I know she cares and its personal for her, as it is for me.

Trends and the future? I am really interested in learning Kumihimo, and we are in the process of developing a new line of beaded jewelry kits. We find that people want something to make but are insecure about their skill levels and so a kit fills the bill. I think that as the dollar gets stretched that people will want to make their own jewelry instead of doing more expensive activities like traveling or purchasing ready made. The satisfaction of having a hand in the making of a piece can give a world weary person some respite and a good feeling.

Discount code for ABS readers: Enter the word beads in the discount box during checkout for a 10% discount. Code will be good until April 30th, 2008.

*Editors Note: Bello Modo can be found at most of the major bead shows in Oregon and Washington, including Bead Expo, March 27-30th!

Thanks to Pamela Maxfield, the owner of Bello Modo for sharing her thoughts on her shop while she is busy getting ready for an amazing show this weekend. If you are going to attend Bead Exop stop by and let her know you saw her interview on the ABS and pick up a few of your favorite art beads!

Bead Store Interview: Foremost Focal

1. What is your business name, website and location?

Foremost Focal Beads. We do not have a brick and mortar store; we sell through the Internet and at bead shows. The business is located in Portage, MI.
2. What kind of handmade art beads does your store sell? What types of materials do your customers prefer?

We made it our goal to provide a one-stop shop for art focal beads bringing together many artists on one website. Our customers are those who can’t travel to the big bead shows to purchase directly from the artists.
We also showcase new bead artists. There is no one material that customers prefer, although there is a slight lead with raku beads.

Polymer clay focal by Christi Friesen, available at Foremost Focal
3. How do you stay current with trends in the bead business? What are some of the important things you do for your business?

We read all we can in the various bead magazines and check for fashion trends. However we try to offer art beads that are different. Take glass for example. Many artists make “bumpy” beads and while we may carry a few, we would rather find new and exciting shapes to sell.

Raku leaf pendant by Rama Raku available at Foremost Focal
4. What role does education play in your business? Do you offer classes or tutorials?

Since we are internet based, we do not offer classes. Tutorials are a dream. With our very small staff it’s difficult to find time to put these together. Maybe in the future…
Right now we put all our energy into the services we do offer – finding creative new art beads, preparing detailed design and color specifications and color-matching coordinating beads to each focal. (Yes, we use “focal” as a noun.)

Sassy Silkies beads by Krystal Wick available at Foremost Focal
5. In a world of cheap imports and knock offs, handcrafted beads can be a hard sell. How do you encourage your customers to give art beads a try?

Showing how the beads can be used in a piece of jewelry is the best marketing technique. I had a focal set that just wasn’t selling until it was made into a necklace. At our first show, a customer wanted the beads and purchased the entire piece at its higher price.
6. What kinds of art beads do you look for? Is there a bead you wish an artist would make for your store?


We try to keep an even-handed inventory of beads made from a variety of media. As before, we look for the truly different and we have decided against some artists because their work was so similar to others.
A bead we wish for? I guess those who can’t, talk to those who can. I have ideas that I share with an artist in California. You’ll have to check the website in the future to see them. J I guess our biggest hope at the moment is that we can find PMC artists with decent wholesale policies!

Bracelet Photo and Design by Helen O’Donnell, Embroidered Soul.

from the Foremost Focal jewelry gallery featuring a bead by Sharleen Newland

7. What beady plans do you have for the future? What bead trends are you excited about?

Our next beady plan is to present trunk shows at stores throughout our area (Michigan, Northern Indian, and Northwest Ohio). After that, we hope to start a wedding jewelry spin-off as well as make our own beads. A book of unique ways to use focal beads is also in the offing.

Carved stone pendant by Riverstone beads available at Foremost Focal

Bead Shop Interview - The Bead Parlor

The Bead Parlor

318 N. Main Street
Bloomington, IL 61701
309/827-7708
http://www.thebeadparlor.com/index.htm


I recently had a chance to have an online chat with Shelley Nybakke, owner of The Bead Parlor in Bloomington, IL. The Bead Parlor is located in historic downtown Bloomington nestled between beautiful old buildings and sidewalks sure to inspire the artistic eye.

As part of the Art Bead Scene crew, of course I ask Shelley what kind of handmade Art Beads her store sells, but I also asked about what types of materials her customers prefer.

At The Bead Parlor they carry lampwork beads made by several local artists, ceramic clay by the FABULOUS Elaine Ray, (toot toot goes my own horn!) polymer clay beads and David Christensen Furnace glass. Shelly feels fortunate to have a good friend, Julie Suchy, who makes beautiful lampwork beads along with several topnotch lampwork artists right there in Bloomington, making a special effort to support local talent as much as possible.

These artsy customers are always on the lookout for one-of-a-kind beads and not surprisingly, everyone has different tastes and creative styles. Even for Shelley, her bead "de jour" depends on her project of the moment and guess what ...... she loves ALL beads!!!! - now who else out these loves all beads? Come on, lets see a show of hands!!!! (put 'em there in the comment box)

Next we explored how The Bead Parlor stays current with trends in the bead business and other important business practices.

Shelley explained that she reads every magazine, book and catalog she can get her hands. Pouring over them from front to back, back to front and over and over again. Each read through gives her a chance to see something missed or forgotten.

Understanding the importance of a strong web presence, Shelley has worked long and hard at the web site for The Bead Parlor which she feels has greatly increased business. The goal is to create a space that customers/readers want to surf over to on a regular basis to view pictures of new ideas, beads and findings. This helps everyone get in the creative mood and sparks new ideas. Shelly says that sometimes her ideas are good and sometimes not so good, but she puts it all out there to let her customers pick over. The News Page is similar to a daily blog and is a great way to get new ideas and products out there.

Beading classes play a big role at The Bead Parlor with a line up that focuses on PMC, weaving, wireworking, and basic stringing. There is a wonderful group of regular teachers who teach because they love beading. Their teaching salary rarely makes it out the door, but instead gets spent right at The Bead Parlor! Shelley says this helps to keep class fees low which encourages more people to give beading a try. In another smart business move, they understand that classes are not only to teach techniques, but also to support friendships / business relationships and to encourage customers to shop at The Bead Parlor.

Another Toot Toot for me!

I understand that in a world of cheap imports and knock offs, handcrafted beads can be a hard sell so I asked Shelley how she encourages customers to give Art Beads a try....

At the Bead Parlor they always make up wonderful examples of finished jewelry featuring art beads. These examples are changed often since many non-beaders also shop at The Bead Parlor - to purchase the "samples". This is one of the many assets of having a store located in a beautiful and busy downtown area. Customers with even minimal beading experience can appreciate the difference between a quality art bead and a cheap knock-off. To stock her store, Shelley looks for earthy natural timeless art beads rather than the "cute", something she will still admire 10 years down the road.

The Bead Parlor carries a variety of heavy metal seed beads. Can't you just imagine all the ways to use these along with the many hand made beads you already own!!!

Shelley has great plans for The Bead Parlor progressing and growing every year. They have a space for even more beads and are always on the lookout for the different and unique. Most of all, Shelley is excited about the fact that her customers realize they can make and have fabulous one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. Presented with the wide range of magazines, websites, bead shows, etc., people are beginning to realize that there is a whole wonderful world of amazing beads out there and that everyone has the opportunity to "do their own thing". With every magazine Shelley opens, she falls in love with some one's great art bead and generally investigates the artist out while keeping her fingers crossed that it is something that will work out for the store.

A big thanks from all of us here at The Art Bead Scene to Shelley for her time and effort, not only for this interview but also for all she does to promote beading and the use of Art Beads. If you ever get the chance make sure to stop in at The Bead Parlor and say hi to everyone from us!

Bead Shop Interview - Allene Rose

The name of my company is Allene's Beads. I do have a website (www.allenesbeads.com), done by a wonderful website designer - I took the photos, but he did the slide show and gave me great suggestions. Rather than a store - I sell only at bead shows, bead society events and the occasional trunk show at bead shops in Southern California. I do not sell artists' beads on my website because I just don't have the financial resources for continually updating the site. Also these pieces are meant to be seen, touched, and inspire for creation which is something a website just doesn't always achieve. I also do a great show up in Oakland in November - Bay Area Bead Extravaganza which is an invitation only show. I love doing it because it attracts a totally different customer base.

My traveling bead shop has evolved very quickly in the last six months. I think the reason for this is because I created a really unique niche for myself. There is a two part reason for its success. The first is that it has enabled bead artists to showcase through my endeavor. I do not take pieces on consignment. I purchase (hopefully at some sort of wholesale basis) and that way the artist gets an immediate return. Also, it gives beaders here in SoCal a chance to see wonderful pieces from all over the U.S. and even Bulgaria. So, it's been a great project for everyone involved. I'm very committed to artists, especially clay bead artists because of the personal aspect of this art.

My project actually began about three years ago when I read about Kazuri Beads in Bead & Button Magazine. This is a fair trade project began by Lady Susan Wood to kick-start a project for women in Kenya. What began as a two woman enterprise has grown to over 300 women now. My first show was a bead society event and I put together the appearance of a bazaar with only 4 bowls of beads. It's evolved tremendously and I now sell many styles and color families of
Kazuri.

Very quickly I decided to add pendants to make for a more complete creative experience. Also I began to notice that the uniqueness of the Kazuri beads would complement anything else I brought to the table. I scoured bead magazines looking for just the right complement pieces. The project has grown to over 20 artists and still growing almost everyday. One thing I did which I believe helps tremendously is that I designed a simple necklace used for display - one that could be explained "on the fly" so I can do a quick lesson for beginners. Bead shows attract a huge amount of potential and beginning beaders. This has really helped to encourage and inspire my customers who may not necessarily have time for more involved projects. And, I always suggest basic classes at local bead shops.

I became a member of Beads-of-Clay which opened the door for me to add to my designer base. I'm very careful to make sure that each designer's pieces are unique and that's there's no overlapping of ideas. I also use Etsy. There are a few criteria I have for searching out pieces for my table. Very importantly, I think, is keeping prices reasonable for my customers. From the beginning I was very aware that beaders and designers must work on a budget. They are often making jewelry as a hobby or a small business. Many are working moms with limited time and just want to pursue beading as a creative outlet. If they are re-selling it's very important that prices are reasonable. One suggestion I would have for artists selling on web-sites - please give dimensions of your pieces. They may look amazing on the site - but closeup images can be deceiving.

I also always try to have a few surprises on my table - just recently I've been selling antique hardware such as old keys, keyhole covers and doorbell hardware. I'm not afraid to try new things and I think that's way my table is always busy. I just bought a wonderful collection of amazing red ceramic
pendants because it was the most wonderful red glaze I've ever seen. A bowlful of red pendants - a real magnet for attracting customers!!! I've kept the African bazaar theme so pieces are presented in baskets, bowls, trays - anything that inspires creativity. I always have bead publications at my table, especially if one of my artists is featured.

As for the world of cheap imports and knock-offs, I really give credit to beaders themselves. I really believe they are starting to see the differences in these kinds of products and are choosing what is really worth purchasing. Because I try to keep a policy of "one of a kind" - that guarantees a more discriminating purchase. Also I do not sell strands of beads whose origins or methods of production are unclear to me. Production methods in some countries utilize unsafe procedures (as we all know) and I'm very opposed to that.

I think seeing wonderful ceramic pieces at a bead show inspires jewelry designers to try pieces that are more edgy and unique. Quite frankly, even though I do the choosing, the ceramic pieces sell themselves. I have never been a ceramic artist, but I've tried to learn a little bit about materials, glazes and techniques. Customers love "provenance" so I always have tags on the bowls with the names of the artist and where they are from. I've made some wonderful friendships in my search for artists and I hope that this is conveyed to the customers. I grew up in the retail fashion business - my parents had a shoe shop and accessories boutique so enthusiasm and excitement about wonderful things comes easily for me. I love to encourage and inspire and I'm extremely lucky to have found the perfect fit.

A big Thanks to Allene for participating in our Bead Show Interview. If you see Allene at a bead show, make sure and tell her you saw her on Art Bead Scene!

Bead Shop Interview: Ornamentea

Hi - part of our job of promoting the love of and use of hand made art beads is to introduce you to some of the best bead shops we know. Periodically we'll be posting interviews with the owners of these shops and letting them tell you about how they are supporting and encouraging the creation of jewelry and other crafts using art beads of all kinds. Here is our first interview - hope you enjoy hearing from Cynthia Deis, owner of Ornamentea in Raleigh, North Carolina.

1. What is your business name, website and location?

Our store is called Ornamentea, we have an on-line store at ornamentea.com and a ‘real’ store located in Raleigh, North Carolina. We also have a site called beadfreak.com and a second ‘real’ store in Raleigh called Panopolie that sells beads as well as paper arts and felting materials.

2. What kind of handmade art beads does your store sell? What types of materials do your customers prefer?

We sell beads by Elaine Ray and Green Girl as well as selected lampwork by local artists. Our customers love Elaine’s beads for their fabulous glaze colors and interesting shapes and the Green Girl beads for their fairy tale sensibility. Our customers prefer beads that are stylish and fashionable and they are not scared of trying something new.

3. How do you stay current with trends in the bead business? What are some of the important things you do for your business?

I read magazines, LOTS of them, about fashion and trends of all kinds and also try to pay attention to what our real customers are wearing. Sometimes trends don’t play out in real life and I need to know which ones to pay attention to.

4. What role does education play in your business? Do you offer classes or tutorials?

We think that classes are so important and we try to offer new classes throughout the year for beginners and more experienced beaders and jewelry makers. Beading can be intimidating if you don’t know what all those tiny parts can do! We also offer informal instruction at our worktables in the store and often have folks come in for the first time and then leave a few hours later with a fabulous new piece of jewelry. Their faces just glow!

5. In a world of cheap imports and knock offs, handcrafted beads can be a hard sell. How do you encourage your customers to give art beads a try?

Well, I don’t think that handcrafted beads are hard to sell at all! We highlight both of our featured artists in special sections of the store using story boards telling customers about their work. We promote their work by making sure every staff member knows who they are and why their work is special.

We also do not sell cheap, knock off beads. We sell beads from China and India, certainly, but we sell those beads they have long produced that are typically considered ‘Chinese.’ We sell blue-and-white porcelain from China, we sell Bali silver from Bali (not cheaper Indian copies), we sell American Art Glass beads made in America, not the cheaper imported mixes.


This is a piece of jewelry Cynthia made that features Elaine Ray’s ceramic beads and her momma-and-baby pendant bead. This necklace will be in Stringing magazine this Summer!

6. What kinds of art beads do you look for? Is there a bead you wish an artist would make for your store?

When looking at artist made beads I always want that moment when my breath catches and I just have to say “oh, look at this!” I want beads that are appealing with color and shape; work that looks like it can become part of interesting beaded jewelry, as well as standing on its own. I want to see work that tells me the artist has perfected their craft skills and is knowledgeable about the details of their work.

Thematic beads are always on my mind. We have customers every day who come in asking if we have a planet bead, a Labrador retriever bead, a leaf bead or a shoe bead. While we carry thousands of charms and beads with (you’d think) almost every possible theme somehow it is not enough. I am always on the lookout for new beads that fill a thematic niche without being cutesy or childish.

7. What beady plans do you have for the future? What bead trends are you excited about?

Personally, I am spending the summer working on a book about filigree jewelry. It is due out in January 2008 from Lark Press and I still have a lot of writing to do on it! I hope I have time to make some personal work this summer.

One trend we have seen in our stores is that customers who have been basic bead stringers are interested in learning more complex techniques such as silver smithing and creating with metal or polymer clays. We are creating more classes for these folks where they can use a combination of techniques and materials to make their own jewelry components. I think this is an important trend for the art bead artist to pay attention to. Many of these folks will leave classes where they have made polymer clay beads or their own silver clasps with a much greater appreciation for the work of bead artists and are more avid collectors of art beads. I would encourage bead artists to consider teaching classes at art retreats such as Art and Soul and their local bead stores.

8. If you have a discount code you would like to give our readers, please list it here, including the expiration date:

Readers can get a free black bead freak tee shirt with any $40 order. These shirts let everyone know you are a beadfreak and are a $25 value.

Please mention The Art Bead Scene Blog Tee Shirt Offer in the comments section of your order and we’ll send you a free tee. This offer expires June 30, 2007.

Thanks for interviewing me! I had fun and I look forward to seeing more about the Art Bead Scene!

Cynthia