SPOTLIGHT ON ... GOOD BOOK
January 2010

Our featured book this month is
Beading with World Beads
by Ray Hemachandra

Beading with World Beads by Ray Hemachandra is an interesting read. One of the things that I've always loved about working and living in the bead world is the acceptance and celebration of multicultural contributions to the craft. As all of us avid bead lovers know, beads have been around for tens of thousands of years. From the intro: "Beads are a part of the origins of every culture, and bead stores are exotic places of exploration and discovery." This book reminded me of my days at the G&LW Rodeway Show in Tucson, Arizona. Soft Flex had a booth at this show in the large tent for many years. If you have ever wanted to see a melting pot of culture, I highly suggest this show. The show runs for at least 2 weeks straight and I often times was there every single day. We shared the tent with people and beads from all over the world: African traders, direct importers from China, our friends Oriental Gemco who are of Indian descent, Afghani dealers, Venetian glass beads, Baltic Amber...the list goes on and on. Lunch time was always a treat. I tried so many different kinds of food working at that show. I think my deep love for Indian food began there. I digress. This book captures the diversity that can be found in the beading industry. I found it to be sort of a walk down memory lane for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk

From the back, "The beauty and unique charm of jewelry featuring a diversity of beads from around world is the focus of this informative, lavishly illustrated book."

In this book you will find:

• Beading with international and multicultural flair
• More than 30 projects
• Popular tribal and ethnic beads
• Basic and intermediate beading techniques

You can find this book on Amazon

If you like this book, you may also like:

The History of Beads by Lois Sherr Dubin

Beads by Janet Coles and Robert Budwig

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Sara Hardin Website Beading blog Email: Sara@SoftFlexCompany.com Sara has been a Soft Flex Company employee for 10 years and is an active designer.  Besides jewelry design, she also enjoys fashion, music, theatre and just about anything art related.  Most days she is available by email or via live chat on the Soft Flex Company website for designer assistance.