Oh, the joy of creating something that springs from your imagination! The immense sense of pride and self-confidence you feel when you have created a piece of wearable art from an assortment of beads and findings is immeasurable. Beading is a therapeutic art form that begins with one beautiful bead and its unique qualities. Merely creating something and expressing your individuality can lift you to a more euphoric state of mind, and through creativity, can promote healing and inner peace. By participating in this restorative art form, your blood pressure is lowered; your energy levels are increased; illness causing stress is lowered; improvements are achieved in cognitive and fine motor skills, as well as visual perception; gain positive coping strategies; helps patients discover a sense of self while coping with life-threatening illness and gain meaning in the illness; aligns with a deeper sense of spirituality. With a deeper self-awareness, you’ll feel so much happier at the end of the day.
Gifting a creation gives you an abundance of joy when the recipient appreciates the time and the bit of you in the gift. They’ll wear it with a remembrance of you and the knowledge that the one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry they’re wearing will not appear on anyone else. There will always be a bit of sweet sentimentality attached to that piece of jewelry unlike anything else you wear.
To begin beading, you will need supplies. Here’s a list of what you will need:
- Wire cutters
- Round-nose pliers
- Flat-nose pliers
- Crimping tool (crimp pliers)
- Crimp beads
- Bead organizer with a variety of glass and metal beads
- Beading cord or thread
- Memory wire
- Big-eye beading needle
- Assorted earwires
- Assorted clasps
- Assorted headpins and eyepins
- Ruler or tape measure
- Strong adhesive, like E-6000
The AKS Gem Show’s New Orleans Winter Jewelry and Bead Show will be held at the Pontchartrain Center, located at 4545 Williams Boulevard in Kenner, Louisiana, on January 19 – 21, 2018. The hours on Friday and Saturday are 10am to 6pm, and on Sunday from 10am to 4pm.