For The Love of Beads BlogThe adventures of Suzanne, Nibbler, and friends in the world of beads and jewelry making crafts

Oval Slabs

We want to talk today about one of the most beautiful stones in history. It was worn by royalty in the ancient world, and it’s deep ocean blue color has drawn the attention of humanity since the beginning of civilization. Archeologists have found evidence that Lapis Lazuli has been traded for at least 6,000 years. And throughout all that time it’s been used not only in jewelry but also to make sculptures, boxes, masks and in giant wall mosaics.

Polished Faceted Pendants

Before synthetic colors were invented, Lapis Lazuli was ground and the powder used to produce the ultramarine color that was widely used in the world of art and it is said that Cleopatra used it as eyeshadow as well. It seems like that girl knew how to accentuate her legendary beauty. Lapis Lazuli is extracted from different countries but the best stones come from Afghanistan and, in recent years, from Chile. It´s incredible that nowadays that we still have at our reach so ancient and appreciated a stone. It´s like it´s never been out of fashion during 6,000 years. And here at For the Love of Beads we are very proud to offer the best quality Lapis Lazuli beads you can find in the market, in 11 models and 13 sizes for your jewelry needs. (more…)

Extra Large Rounds

Here at For the Love of Beads, we want to offer you the best selection of beads from all over the world, and you can be sure that you are gonna find the highest quality beads in each and every one of our sections. In our gemstone beads department, for example, we have a great selection of semi-precious stones. Turquoise is one of them.  We have this beautiful stone in 11 different striking styles and shades and 12 sizes for your jewelry designs at the most incredible prices.

Polished Pieces

But, have you ever wonder where this mesmerizing stone comes from and why it has been so appreciated throughout history? One could think that because of the name, the stone comes from Turkey. But it´s interesting to know that actually it came from Persia (now Iran) and Egypt, but because was traded mostly in Turkey´s ancient bazaars, people thought that it was produced in that country.

Even more interesting is the fact that during the twentieth century, the biggest producer in the world was the United States.  According to this site Arizona, Colorado, California and Nevada are the states that have produced the highest quality stones in great quantities in the past years.

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I grew up in Mexico; and doing research for this post definitely brings back lots of memories.  In my home-town of Valle de Bravo there is a high rock formation called “La Peña” (The Peak)

which overlooked the entire town as well as the lake.  I have fond memories of the entire family heading up for picnics and enjoying the view.  These trips also sparked an interest in archaeology, as thousands of years ago La Peña was a site for many indigenous rituals.  Almost every time we went there we would find an idol, the handle or piece of a clay pot, the obsidian tip of a spear, and more. Even in the late 90’s you could always find a little piece of history while walking up “La Peña’s” roads.   Growing up with such tangible history really made me take a special interest in the development of cultures.   A lucky find on my most recent trip inspired me to write this article – I had originally set out to cover Mexico, Central America and South America, but because it’s so much information I will break it down into 2 posts.

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While we grow as a company and as beaders, we try to understand where our patterns, ideas and our need to bead comes from. We wanted to gain more knowledge about beads – I mean, we are always learning new techniques, finding new types of beads and meeting new people, but we really don’t know how those techniques started, where they started, who started them and why. So here begins our journey into history of beads. I thought we should start with our own part of the world, beginning with early North American culture, and more specifically, the Canadian First Peoples.
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I thought it would be fun to start featuring beads in fashion and we shall begin with fall. As many of you know fashion shows for fall took place in spring 2009 and currently the fashion industry is showcasing their spring/summer collections all over the world so it was a bit challenging to find photos for the fall attire.

Fall is one of my favorite seasons… I like them all but I kinda get tired of winter pretty soon with all the snow and all. But fall is so easy going… sometimes you get warm days in which you can still wear t-shirts and shorts and sometimes you get cool days, not cold enough for a coat but cold enough to be stylish.

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