3-2-1 Summer Camp! Beads of Paradise

Jun 9

Get crafty

Bubbly, colorful, accessible, the good old bead remains popular, reminiscent of arts and crafts at summer camp. Beads have been around as early as 38,000 BC and consisted of boundless materials and shapes from varying locales (still do). Greece lays claim to ceramic beads, Italy’s known for Murano glass beads, and Native Americans first used stone, shells, quills, and bone in their beadwork. Today, any designer will tell you that crafting a piece of beaded jewelry is as satisfying as it is therapeutic. Here are five bead beauties keeping the vibe alive.

**Rainbow Arcadia**

London-based Robinson Pelham is a team of three women with vast experience in the jewelry industry. Coincidentally, there are three collections within the brand; Oxygen (bold and colorful), Evoke (calm and elegant), and Couture (bespoke). The Arcadia glass bead pieces represent their Oxygen collection just in time for Pride month.
Rainbow “Arcadia” glass beads on 9k yellow gold chain necklace, $1,395 at Robinson Pelham

**Glass Hoop**

Coralie Reiter comes from a lineage of jewelry industry veterans, including a watchmaker father and jeweler uncle. Since 2012, her passion for crafting unique jewels has shone through her collections, whether she’s using vivid silk thread or mismatched glass beads.
Glass beads on 14k gold-filled hoop earrings, $58 at Coralie Reiter

**Rantai Api Dalam**

John Hardy is an iconic name that’s been around since 1975. It’s also one of the largest employers in Bali, with a community of artists that create handcrafted, sustainable jewelry. This necklace consists of one of the many chain styles John Hardy is known for but with a cheerful update of ombre fire opal beads.
John Hardy fire opal beads on 18k gold graduated chain “Rantai Api Dalam” necklace, $15,800 at J.R. Dunn

**Lagos**

New York-based SVNR (souvenir, French for “remember”) is the jewelry child of designer Christina Tung. SVNR reflects Tung’s aesthetic and ethics with handmade pieces made from “re-used, up-cycled, and natural materials” that project a welcoming trend in the fashion industry.
Agate, quartz, shell, jasper, cowrie earring, $110 (single) at SVNR

**Forte Beads**

Carolina Bucci is a fourth-generation jewelry designer from the Bucci family. Based in Florence, her creations are crafted in the family’s workshop using tried and true techniques. Her Forte bead collection is known for its rainbow-colored precious hard-stone beads. Just when you were saying, “I could make that,” take a closer look. The ultimate beach status symbol.
Hard-stone beads and an 18k gold flower bead on a lurex cord with 18k gold caps “Forte” bead bracelet, $1,860 at Carolina Bucci

Editor: Samantha Durbin

Market Editor: Johannah Masters

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