Beads and their history

From first begins of human´s  history people liked decorate themself for various cases and ocassions. Most of decorations (there belong  beads too)were used in spiritual rituals and in  first pre-religious cults. After in first socialy divided society were used like symbol for ,,reading" social status of person and her/his  place in hierarchy of  society. Only in last two centuries started people use decoration only for enjoy themself or simply  make their beauty more visible.

Processing of gems used for  production of beads was used in acient Egypt and in all old oriental states. Wooden beads were used almost in all human cultures. Acient world ( Greece and especially acient Rome knew technics of processing of glass and used it for production of carrafas and  glasses. From Romans  toke this technic acient Celts,  which became masters in producing blue/green cobalt glass.Pottery beads were used by  natives in acient pre columbians nations of latin America, Mexico and too some  african nations to today use  and produce pottery coloured beads(kenyan beads).Metal beads were made from brass, cooper, iron or silver-rarely from gold and  usually used in oriental cultures(most wellknown are beads called cloissone -what is originally chinese technic where is used metal bead with laquered email colour) and in european  cultures became more practical for using them  like buttons on coats and outside dresses.

In european middleage became very popular glass beads made in Venezia by special technic and workers who  produceed it were masters in their craft. To today is wellknown one of these brands of venetian glass beads called Millefiori(thousand flowers) which original pieces aren made by masters personaly. With  growing of christianity in Europe and with starting of using devotional and prayer´s things growed too production of beads(especially wooden  beads which were most used for rosaries of priests and nuns in monasteries). Nobility used  most of silver  emailed beads or gem´s beads.
With renaisance became beads be used too like aplications in textilies and dresses or like chains  for hairs.
 Baroque age ( end of 16th - first half of 18th century) brings fashionable rich  using of real pearls or cloissone in upper part of  dresses and like collecions of earings, bracelets and necklases.In these times you could find beads applications almost everywhere in craft things, head acessories, in textilies used for furniture. In this time were build first manufactories specialised  on production of acessories like are beads. Industrial revolution( end of 18th and all 19th century) brings big  boom of  factory´ s machine production of various kinds of acessories and beads. In these times became very popular glass beads of various colours, design and sizes, from which best pieces very well imitated real gems and only experts for jewels could know different between real jewel and false beads.

Today we have many  options and  oportunities  choose from milion kinds of beads with different colours, sizes , desing and used material. If you like your own produced beads I am sure you will know Fimo plastic material for making own beads  or simply use tools for work with ironed or cooper´s cables . Me personaly like use  small rocail  beads  which are rich in colours and sizes, but I like collect too various pieces of beads  and use them too in my art´s works  where I combine acrylic technic with  glue fixed beads. Expensive beads are today real glass one´s or if are from quality wood material.  But I think that beads are forever, their beauty is surprising us  still in today and the quantity and variations of today  products  and easy using of them for large public  is proof that beads are still fashionable and actual. Simply beads are beads :-).