Beadwork: A World Guide

French mourning wreaths; Ukranian Easter eggs; Norwegian bodices; Chinese slippers; Pakistani hair tassels; Egyptian belly-dancing outfits; central Asian tent decorations; Maasai wedding dresses; Xhosa neckpieces; Athabaskan shot pouches and Sioux mocaasins...from Greenland to Bali, beadwork from all around the world is illustrated, and its history revealed, in this authoritative history of the craft.

The amazing worldwide transformation of very small, usually uniformly colored, beads
into intricate articles or embellishments is told in a coherent story for the first time.
The earliest drawn glass beads were produced around 200 B. C. in various locations in India and exported for centuries along the major trade routes to Africa and Asia. From the sixteenth century on beads made in Europe became highly desirable trade items and spread throughout the world.

After an introduction and an in-depth survey of bead manufacturing centers in Europe and Asia, Beadwork is organized into five principle sections, with over forty topics in all.
Each of four main regional sections-Africa; the Americas; Asia, Oceania and the Arabian Gulf; and Europe-outlines the history and trade routes of beads in the area, with an accompanying map, examines what has been and is being produced in detail. A fifth section surveys construction and techniques: from brick stitch and herringbone weave to lazy stitch and three-dimensional structures.

With over six hundred illustrations, information on collecting and conserving beadwork, and on where to see public collections, this is the first survey to reveal the wealth and diversity of traditional beadwork from around the world. The result will inspire beadworkers, collectors and designer, and anyone interested in art, craft, and fashion.

Caroline Crabtree trained as an embroiderer in the UK and is the author of World Embroidery.

Pam Stalebrass studied Fine Arts at the Univeristy of Natal, South Africe. She is the author of The Creative Guide to Fabric Screening.