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.

Heishi Low-Lustre Slabs

The possibilities to design ravishing jewelry with this beautiful blue stone which very often comes with small sparkling golden dots are endless. Whether you wear it in a necklace, bracelet or a pair of earrings, we can assure you everybody will take notice of it. Just take advantage of the multiple accessories available today to emphasize the astonishing Lapis Lazuli’s blue color. And don’t be afraid if the color could fade with time because you can have it repolished to bring back its original look.

Large Rounds

It’s also regarded as the stone of the truth and it’s very useful to strengthen relationships. It’s also a powerful rock to boost your own levels of energy, so if you sometimes feel kind of sluggish without any reason, this is the stone for you. It’s said that stimulates objectivity, clarity and encourages creativity allowing you to perceive emotional issues clearly. That’s why it’s used as a tool for meditation. And if all of this is not enough to convince you of the value of this gemstone let me tell you that now, because of political issues in Afghanistan, its cost has surpassed the value of gold. So, once you get your Lapis Lazuli from us you need to protect it from chemicals and solvents, in order to enjoy it for many many years. And who knows, maybe  your piece of jewelry can last another 6,000 years.

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.

So, why has this stone been so appreciated in almost every culture in the world? It´s well known that ancient Egyptians in the Middle East and Aztecs in Mexico used to wear it on their clothes and in very important ceremonial occasions.

Barrels

A very curious fact is that during the Conquest of Mexico, the Spaniards Conquistadors didn’t pay any attention to the stone because they were only looking for gold. American Indians tribes, who also incorporated the stone in their culture, used to think that turquoise was a link between the sky and the sea because of its green and blue colors.

Oval Pendants

Some say that the interest on this stone could be because its metaphysical properties. It´s considered a talisman that attracts friendship and is also very useful to strengthen communications skills. It’s said that connects the spiritual, physical and emotional levels in the body, that it brings good fortune for the wearer and helps to overcome depression.  It´s a protective stone as well, mostly against unexpected falls. And in the past, people believed that when the stone changed its color it was a sign of imminent danger. But now we know that turquoise can change color due several factors such as heat, sun, bright light and the use of cosmetics.

Whether you think turquoise is a beautiful stone worth wearing as accessory or you believe in its healing properties or both, we want to give you the most important information we can gather about the subject.

So,let us know if turquoise is your favorite stone and if not, well let us know which one is.

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.

I will begin with Mesoamerica, which is the area extending from Central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua.  The next post will cover South and Central America. I hope to give you an introduction and invite you to delve into the history of pre-Columbian cultures in the southern part of America the beautiful.

THE OLMECS (Circa 1400 BCE to about 400 BCE)

The first complex culture to populate Mesoamerica was the Olmecs who occupied La Venta, San Lorenzo and Tres Zapotes on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They are considered to have been the roots to other cultures such as Zapotecan, Mayan and Aztec. They are best known for the colossal heads sculpted out of basalt, and the creation of an extensive system of trade routes. There isn’t a lot of detailed information on jewelry and beads created and used by the Olmecs, but we know they used jade, clay, basalt (volcanic rock) and greenstone. I read a small article depicting the jewelry the Olmecs made with jade and it talked a bit about how when they carved faces into the jade they would make the nostrils big and open so the jade could breathe.  They would also illustrate breathing with pictures of fire.

THE MAYANS (C. 250 AD to 900 AD)

The Mayan cultural influence extended from central Mexico to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, and is known for having fully developed written language in the pre-Columbian Americas. The Mayan people still exist and they speak their own language, their religion however has morphed with the introduction of Roman Catholicism that came with the Spanish conquest of the Americas.  They worked mainly with jade, carving out figurines of their gods into pendants; it was a difficult task since jade is harder than steel. Most of the figurines are not symmetrical or geometrically perfect because of this, but Mayans did what they could using the stones natural defects in their designs. Jade was considered more precious than gold, since it represented the green of the water and vegetation. As seen on their pottery figurines, Mayan people wore jade necklaces, earrings, bracelets and head pieces. Like the Egyptians, they would deck their nobles head to toe in jade before burial.

Side note – Interesting fact about jade:

The term jade describes two distinct minerals, jadeite and nephrite, which vary greatly in quality and color. Ancient Middle American cultures generally worked with jadeite, while nephrite was used in early Chinese carvings and beads.  Both kinds of Jade can be white, various shades of gray, pea green, grass green, emerald green, or blue green. Both also may be mottled or translucent. The emerald green and blue green shades tend to be jadeite, while nephrite also occurs in yellows, oranges, and purples.

THE AZTECS ( 14^th, 15^th and 16^th centuries)

And now to cover the last indigenous culture to occupy Mesoamerica, the Aztecs! Often the term “Aztec” refers exclusively to the people of Tenochtiltlan, situated on the island of Texcoco, who called themselves Mexica Tenochca or Colhua-Mexica. But here included with the Aztecs I will cover the Mixtecs because the Aztecs copied or bought many of their designs. Sometimes the name may also cover other cultures like the Mexicas; and the Aztecs had a big empire that covered most of central and a bit of the south of Mexico, so anyone who spoke Nahuatl will be included in this excerpt.

The Aztecs are well known for their gift exchange with Cortes and other conquistadores that consisted mainly of gold.   Gold was the Aztec’s most prized mineral, and because of its raw shape, they named it  the “excrement of the gods”. Most of the gold and silver jewelry was conceived with the “lost wax casting” technique, using clay molds. Aztecs would also incorporate mud and wood in their pieces. The Mixtecs would usually mix smalls gold beads with semi-precious stones like turquoise, amber, jade, amethyst, pearls and even shell; and they were well known for their beautiful delicate necklaces.  Aztec women would often make custom orders from the Mixtecs to buy for themselves. I found an incredible site with pictures but they won’t let me put them up so I included a link to it at the end of the article. It was on this site that I found something quite interesting; apparently the Mexicas exchanged goods with other indigenous cultures in the north and that is how they were able to obtain turquoise from towns in Arizona.  Just imagine all the ancient trade routes in your city, town, even backyard! The Aztecs also used jade as their go-to semi-precious stone, jade beads were used as tributes, trade items and currency.

It is very clear that symbolism was essential to all the jewelry making, and that even one single bead took hours of meticulous carving.  The thought and effort that would go into each necklace is truly inspirational.  Thousands of years later other cultures are still being inspired by these designs.

I hope you had fun reading this post and I also hope it gave you lots of ideas to keep on creating! If you have any ancient culture inspired pieces don’t hesitate to e-mail us a picture of it and I’ll make sure to post it.

Happy New Year!

P.S.
A very good site to look at Pre-Columbian jewelry in Mesoamerica is:
http://www.raulybarra.com/museos/joyeria_prehispanica/index.htm,
which is in Spanish but I am sure you guys can figure it out, you just click away! Or stick it in google translate and get an idea of what it says.  If you have any questions about any of the captions or images just ask in the comments – I’m happy to help.

Another very good site for a more in-depth look at how Aztecs made their jewelry is: http://www.aztec-history.com/aztec-jewelry.html

Here are the sites from which I took some pictures and info:

http://www.inapl.gov.ar/Lista%20roja/piecuentas.html
http://www.arqueomex.com/S2N3nJade87.html
http://img188.imageshack.us/i/570175olmecahead0.jpg/
http://www.mesoweb.com/lords/international.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/saulcordova/2492367864/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timt50/1350118406/
http://www.precolumbianjade.com/maya
http://precolumbiangold.com/aztec.htm
http://www.wikipedia.org

And last but not least I would like to thank the book that provided me with much needed information to fill the gaps that the internet couldn’t satisfy:

Dubin, Lois Sherr. The History of Beads, From 30,000BC to the present. Paperback Edition. Thames and Hudson, 2006.

North America
South America Part 1 – Olmecs, Mayans, Aztecs

A big part of beading in early North American societies was loom beading, and it still is. Some pieces, like the top and sleeves of a buckskins dance dress, would take a year of intense work by a very talented loom artist working with seed beads. Generally, pieces as complicated as a head dress or other personal attire used in religious ceremonies are made by the most skilled loom workers, and are given as gifts. Almost anything could (and still can!) be turned into a bead: porcupine quills were used for beads, claws, teeth and bones were bored and strung or used as pendants, and they all had different meanings. Sometimes the process of making the bead was the most important part of the beading tradition. Regularly, animal sinew was slit very finely and used as string, but sometimes plant fibers such as nettle were spun into string.

Beads were also used in trade, since they were considered very valuable. Beaded chains and belts were considered very important, and they would have a small role as money or as very important documents to signify trade with other nations.  These were called wampum, and it would either be a precious bead like a Quahog strand or an intricate beaded belt. But it wasn’t until after the European colonization that wampum was used frequently in trade for goods, land or rights. Many belts were stolen or lost by European colonists.

I could go on and on about all the things I’ve read and the artifacts I’ve seen covered in beads belonging to First Canadian Nations, but this is just a taste! I invite you to explore the history of your culture with beads or of other cultures with beads – I am sure it is pretty interesting. Next time I will be posting about the history of beading in Central America and Mexico.

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.

I am not a big trend follower nor do I have the money to purchase any Haute Couture outfits. But I do look at fashion for inspiration. How can you tell me this is not a piece of art:

I don’t know if it even comes in my size but I would love to have the guts to wear that! By the way that’s Alexander McQueen’s little beauty and yes it is from the fall 2009 collection.

On the other hand, for something more wearable but still fun. I loved Anna Sui’s collection. A lot of it was 30’s inspired style with a touch of boho or a lot of boho with a touch of flappers.

I love the beads they used in the necklace. I think we’ll start to see a lot more weaving and intricate patterns with seed beads accompanied by smaller gemstone beads this year.

Another outfit that I also liked by Anna Sui.

But I also saw a lot of this:

This is Phillip Lim using a sort of flowery print with a bold necklace.

There is something for everybody in fashion and sometimes there is absolutely nothing! I think it is important for a person to choose what they wear but it’s even more important for a woman. Don’t get me wrong I am not saying we have to always look nice, wear high heels and sleep with make up on, no I am saying you have to dress for yourself you have to find a way to express your creativity through accessories. And while the necklace might make the dress, the dress doesn’t make the woman. But I think most of you reading this blog have already found yourselves and your ways of not buying an image media wants to sell us and I would like to make this blog a bit deeper than bead working. I could go on and on with feminist rants but I’d like to hear your opinions on what fashion means to you and where you’d like this blog to go.