Sita Falkena

“Beads I: they continue to intrigue me”

Beads, used for thousands of years – for me it remains a wonderful object to incorporate into my jewelry. Various aspects of beads continue to intrigue me, especially:

• the long history of the bead; the first were made 6000 years ago in Egypt
• the manufacture and use by almost all peoples on earth
• the diversity of the material: animal / vegetable / stone / metal / plastic / glass
• the different functions: decoration of body, clothing and utensils / amulet function / exchange and means of payment
• the variety in shape / texture / size / color
• the importance of beads finds in archaeological research into contacts between different peoples.