Bead Benefits

I've always found beads and jewelery making strongly therapeutic. The focus washes away all worries and I come out of each design session feeling strangely more refreshed and lucid. However, it wasn't until recently that I received some confirmation of the benefits of beads and the girls made little bracelets to keep. It was a hit and they had lots of fun. The beads were very inexpensive, and I was almost appalled they used plastic beads and poorly painted wooden beads. The parents thought it was the best and the kids were thrilled. The bead snob in me decided to show them what good beads look like, and I was going to outdo everyone with the best sterling clasps look like, I thought I could teach them how to finish their own pieces properly. So, it wasn't a bead party that would end all bead parties.

There was a brother (age 6) and sister (age 8) who were part of the group that came out. I actually didn't invite the brother even though he was my daughter's best friend. I naturally assumed that he would not be interested because his parents seemed so gender conservative and dressed him mainly in greens and blues. He had also declined attending parties which my daughter didn't go because he didn't want to be the only boy. My daughter is a tom girl, so he feels she doesn't count as a girl. Anyhow, his mother asked if she could bring him. I was embarrassed of my assumption and wholeheartedly welcomed them. But I brought out my daughter's collection of shark's teeth fossils, boxier sterling clasps and thick leather, just in case if the beads don't go over very well. The boy's mother is a neurologist at the Sick Children's Hospital, i.e. a brain specialist. His father is a paediatric heart specialist at the same hospital. So, they're really into the development of children. While the children are engrossed in the platters full of beads, the mother told me why she encourages her son to do beading. In fact, she has beads at home and she had read many studies that point to the benefits of bead counting and sorting for a child's brain development. Not only will it improve their mathematical skills, it helps develop patience. It also has calming effects on hyperactive children. The size of the beads should vary inversely with the children's age for safety, of course. The little boy is brilliant and very patient. However, I don't know if that has got more to do with genetics than just a lot of bead sorting.

The session was a smash and the mothers were intrigued, and rather dazzled by the array of glass beads, crystals, pearls and stone beads. I find that an easy finish for the bracelets were the lobster clasp . Or for slightly older children and limited budget, one might consider the larger spring ring clasp.

You can certainly contribute to the well being of your friends and family. The necklace making party only took about 2 hours, but it was great for them. The moms wanted to offer money so I'd hold it again. The kids didn't want to go. So, it was worthwhile. I'd recommend larger shell beads. Czech crystals are great. Stringing material can simply be elastic for the little ones.

By the way, the pirate's necklace with the shark tooth was amazing. I used 22 ga sterling wire and wrapped around the tooth, ending in a loop for leather to go through. I think he will treasure the necklace forever.

Sterling Silver Components Are Worth the World

I often lament that I am not in the medical field, researching cures for a contagious and deadly disease, or that I am not contributing more to society as Gandhi had. I've only recently realized how much happier I am that I did not become a lawyer, as I had aspired to be, and as most of my friends have become. Nonetheless, there are moments in the quiet hours of my evenings that I feel I have not contributed as much to society as I feel I possibly could. After all, jewellery making , and to a finer point, sterling silver components is often thought of as superfluous. The world of fashion is rather superficial, and I often wonder what evolutionary purpose does adorning oneself really serve? Are we not intelligent enough to see that outer appearance is not necessarily indicative of one's inner qualities? However, I oscillate between loathing all things physically beautiful and embracing them as things that make us feel good, and thus make us human, and therefore, important and necessary, and even desired.

I recently read an article about music and the possible purpose it serves as part of human mating rituals. It takes a great deal of time to master an instrument. So, it must serve an important purpose in our evolutionary selection. The researchers theorized that musical talent indicates vigorousness, coordination and health. I am tone deaf. But my saving grace is that I am artistic , i.e. super visual, great with colour and can remember a picture as clearly as....a picture. So, this is what I tell myself, and it's proven positive that my husband didn't just make a mistake, but rather I was selected by higher order.

I was a guest on the panel of specialists in Style by Jury, where a would-be jewelery designer was going through transformations. There was a therapist on board. He's done many talks and works with a number of Hollywood Stars. He mentioned that things that are commercially successful are things that make us feel good. It is human nature. For some reason what he said that night made a lot of sense, though as simple and commercial as it may seem. In its smallest denominator, I want beautiful and unique sterling silver components that speak to me and make jewelery designing easy and pleasurable. I want jewelery that I design make people feel good about themselves, removing them from the doldrums of the ordinary.

I recently realized that I am but a small cog in a large wheel. However, I do contribute in important ways. Someone at a tradeshow once said "Creativity is cheaper than therapy." This is very true, and we create happiness for many. Our sterling silver components create employment and livelihood for many people and their families. Our happiness as jewellery designers creates joy for those around us. We contribute in many small, and large, ways.

Although I still hope that one of my children end up in the medical field or decide to dedicate their lives to a more visible good of mankind, I'd be very happy if they were happy, doing whatever they can apply themselves doing. I'd be equally happy and proud if they decided to create beautiful jewellery to improve other people's moods and for people to admire as I would be if they became brain surgeons. I think I'd be very especially proud and touched if designed jewellery and when they come upon sterling silver components that I've designed, they think I've done a great job; for this is my life, and jewellery components is my passion. I have decided to contribute to this world the best way I know how, and to make a mark by touching someone's life and jewellery designs . I am living the life exactly how I want to, designing with pride, and enjoying every minute of it. And I am positive I'm contributing more to society than any of my lawyer friends.

Click here to browse through Stones and Findings' sterling silver components!

Vancouver Bead Stores

There are a number of Vancouver Bead Stores. They are also all of fairly high calibre, compared to the bead stores of other major Canadian cities. I think this has a lot to do with the fact that Vancouverites are willing to spend more money on handmade goods. There are more small jewellery artisans per capita in Vancouver than any other major metropolis.

One of my favourites is Country Beads, owned by my friend Susan Gill. It is managed by Danika, a super talented and wonderful gal, and helped run by an army of fantastic and bubbly jewellery designers. Sue is the creative business woman behind the scene all these years. She has a gift for colour and likes warm and inviting interiors. I like her display ideas. She's people oriented, well traveled, open minded, and the ideal person to own a Vancouver Bead Store. Sue has a great eye for trends and quality. She hand picks all of her stones and Country Beads has the best selection of Indian cut stones in Vancouver. They provide steep volume discounts to wholesale jewellery designers. The store is definitely worth a visit and they're working on an online store.

Kimdoly specializes in inexpensive Chinese stone beads. They have 2 locations, and exhibit at all the major bead shows in Vancouver. Their prices are competitive and they have a large selection of stone beads. The variety is not different from regular Chinese stone beads. They believe their customer base is more price conscious, and their selection of sterling silver components is almost non-existent. If you like their selection of stone beads, but you don't want to go elsewhere to buy your sterling silver, you need to speak to the owners to get them to bring it in.

Capilano Rock And Gem is located on the north shore. It is a direct competitor to Country Beads, but without the meticulous selection. They have a large selection of sterling wire, sheets and casting grains. They also have a good selection of gold filled wires. They have a fair amount of pearls, but not a lot of stone beads.

There are a couple of Beadworks locations. One of them is located in Granville Island. It is very pretty and a relaxed location to shop in. However, like all Beadworks locations, the selection is limited and the prices are strictly retail.

Beadsmart is located in Richmond, but since they draw many Vancouver clients, I consider them as one of the Vancouver Bead Stores. The owner Cindy is very generous and their prices are great. They have purportedly the lowest prices and largest colour selection of Swarovski crystals. Cindy's partner, Kareen, is a retired banker who is very talented and has a great eye for colour co-ordination. She holds beading and wire wrapping classes. They have some fine chains a small selection of good clasps. They carry a good selection of sterling and gold-filled wire in different gauges. You can negotiate for volume discount and many regular customers get little gifts without having to ask.

Many retail customers go to Fire Mountain Gems across the border to do their shopping. However, it has been said that the stone beads from Fire Mountain Gems is poor and they've had to switch back to buying locally. The minimums at Fire Mountain Gems is low, but again, unless you buy a significant amount, the duties and shipping will not make it cost effective.

Vancouver Bead Stores are sophisticated and prices are as price competitive as that of many major cities. Because there are many professional jewellery designers in the city, Vancouver Bead Stores are prompted to carry better selection and enable themselves to sell wholesale in order to compete.

To take a look at what Stones and Findings, a Canadian sterling silver wholesaler, can provide, click here!

A Jewellery Component Designer's Parenting Concerns - Sexual Predators 1

When I am not sketching out sterling silver component designs, I read newspapers and parenting magazines. The news of Jaycee Dugard, who was abducted and kept in captivity for the last 19 years, is all over the news. As a mother of two young girls, I cannot help but to be deeply affected by this news. It is every parent's nightmare. And my immediate instinct is to think about how I can safeguard my own children from those exact circumstances, and then some.
It is often said that we cannot live our lives in fear, and that fear and panic can instil unhealthy insecurities in our children. I've been fighting fears of sexual predators, road safety, gang crimes, abductions for ransom or revenge (even though my husband and I have neither significant wealth nor enemies to think of - I design sterling silver components and my husband is a computer programming nerd) even before my children were born. After the birth of my first child, I noticed that I was constantly agitated and distracted. I was obsessively worried about hot stoves, suffocation and my daughter falling from heights. I found out that this condition was totally natural and a part of our evolutionary programming as parents to ensure the safeguard and survival of our children. Although this was comforting that I was not losing my mind, it did not diminish my compulsion to search for ways to maximize child safety at every turn. I try to keep panic from my voice when I speak to my husband about new plans and safeguards that I've just lost the previous night's sleep over. I certainly try to stay calm when explaining the new plans to my kids, editing my words very carefully.

Four of my friends were sexually molested at a young age, two by their teacher/instructor, one by a fellow student at a prestigious boarding school, and one by an older boy who lived in the neighbourhood. That is a significant percentage considering how small my circle of friends is, and it also goes to show you that it can happen anywhere. I don't want to send you into a panic, but outside the world of sterling silver components horrible things do happen. Thankfully, there are some things that we can do about it. I was lucky, and I want to ensure that my children have the same luck. I've heard there are books out there geared towards young readers as young as 5 years old about safety precautions and how to report any incidents of abusive to an adult. I have yet to get my hands on any of these books, but I've been in dialogue with my parenting coach about conversations I should have with my children and some things that I can do about it.

Parents should teach their children to be alert of dangers without robbing them of their childhood and happiness. Aside from letting my kids sketch alongside me when I am designing sterling silver components, I make an effort to engage them in conversations about being careful when I am not there with them.

Here is my parenting coach's advice:

Teach your children the difference between private parts and public parts. Teach your child which parts are not okay for others to touch and which are okay. You can use a doll to illustrate. I told my daughter that people, other than mom and dad, grandma and grandpa and her nanny, should not touch her private parts. And she should not touch other people's parts, either, even as a joke. And when our family members touch there, it is only when we are helping her bathe. And since she's now potty trained, we don't need to help her wipe there anymore. Later on, I gently reinforced it and told her that she should tell my husband and I, and her teacher, if anyone tried to touch her there. And we talked about respecting other people's privacy.

Help children develop their gut instinct for danger signs. Everyone is born with natural instincts. Over the years, my instincts for which sterling silver components will be popular have become sharpened. Children's instinct for danger need to be further developed and it helps to articulate the feelings for a small child. My parenting coach suggested that when my daughter and I are out shopping or watching a movie, we should bring up the topic. For example, if we were in a grocery store and there was a stranger standing uncomfortably close, or an unkempt person walking by, we should discuss it immediately afterwards. You could say something like "Ooh, that stranger made me feel uncomfortable (or weird). I didn't like it. It felt strange (or I was a little scared). Let's go away from here quickly. I don't like being here." By saying something like this, you are saying that it is okay to feel uncomfortable and not know what it was exactly, but that it was best to leave. As the child grows older, the language and description can be a bit more detailed and analysis more in depth.

Help children understand that not all adults are right or good. It is bad advice to say "you should always listen to adults" or "do as you're told" or "do what your teacher says" (mind you, I'd like to make clear now that I believe 99.9% of teachers are good and they chose their profession for noble reasons and I support teachers and appreciate their hard work). When I teach my children's friends how to make jewellery with sterling silver components, I often test them to with silly things that don't work, or pieces missing. And I show them that I'm sometimes wrong. Many parents, for good intentions, tell their children to do as adults tell them. But not all adults are good and it is difficult for a young child to take this advice and be able to avoid instances of abuse when they encounter the bad ones. You should tell your children "Not all adults are good. Most of them are, but sometimes there are ones that are not. They are not always right. We should listen to our inner voice and decide for ourselves if they are right or not. If we don't think they are, we should tell them. If they are strangers, you should leave right away and tell mom and dad." Being an artist has helped me in this department. I'm sometimes wrong about certain sterling silver components or bead colours. The world is subjective. I don't need to be perfect and my children are fairly quick to point out where some things don't work and I encourage them to go with their gut.

To read part two of A Jewellery Component Designer's Parenting Concerns Sexual Predators II click here.