New beads...

Here is a sneak preview of the treats in store for you at the shows this fall that have been arriving all week chez moi.

Hidden in this hand-painted Afghanistan spice pot are more raw lapis and turquoise, jade rondelles and the most beautiful carnelian I have seen in my short jewellery-making career. If you make tribal/ethnic-inspired jewellery, you will love these beads.

All week I've been restringing recycled glass beads and trying to restrain myself from eating them. They look just like old-fashioned sugar-dusted hard candy. And the really great thing about these handmade beads is that the holes tend to be quite large, perfect for stringing on leather. Here is a tiny, tiny selection:

Now to go and have lunch... and spend the afternoon making new jewellery.

PS: I'm hoping to be set up in my new studio space by mid-to-late September where I can host visitors (email me first). In the meantime, I'll bring a small selection of the new beads to the Grand River Bead Society meeting in Guelph on I believe it will be Monday, September 16th, and for sure I'll see you at the GRBS show October 5th and 6th in Guelph, as well as The Gem Expo in Toronto on November 23rd, 24th and 25th. Check out both groups' Facebook pages for updated information on all the great vendors. Email me, as well, if you want me to bring anything in particular to the September GRBS meeting.

Thanks for looking!