I have been a fan of beading for many years now, and the BEADS show is in many ways the fruit of all those years of learning and experimentation – my first systematic collection of handcrafted necklaces.
The bead jewellery I’m presenting here is created with materials I’ve sourced during my travels in Europe and beyond. Reflecting both my Italian and British backgrounds, my designs aim to fuse the elegance of my birthplace, Milan, with some London irreverence and cool. I also let myself be influenced by my beads’ inherent potential for the nomadic, the playful, the vintage and – which is not so well-known – the contemporary.
Beading is very much back on the scene of modern crafts. There is something very satisfying about teasing out harmonious and balanced designs from multi-coloured and multi-textured beads, and through the series of repetitive gestures – measuring, needling, counting, threading – which lie at the core of bead-making. During the preparation of this show, I found myself increasingly inspired by the ritual nature of these gestures and their power to engender a degree of concentration and sense of tranquility amid the complications of everyday life. So I’m glad to report that I thoroughly enjoyed my solitary pastime at the beading table – although now the show is opening, I am also relishing the chance to share ideas and advice with other fellow beaders (there is quite a community of us out there!).
The show is a collection of individual and bold designs that are suitable both for day and evening wear, and certainly for any occasion when we feel like making an impact and letting our personality show through. Indeed, as you will see, some necklaces are definitely not for the faint-hearted!
‘Nomad’ emerges from the beads and memories of my travels.
‘Rocco’ is a more ironic take on colour and design.
‘Uptown’ is conceived more with smart evenings and special occasions in mind – but with a twist.
And the great thing is that these necklaces can free you up from spending ages on choosing your outfit, since most will look great over your everyday clothes as well. In fact, for certain designs, the more under-stated the outfit, the more the necklace will display itself to full advantage!
