Shimmering Story Behind Beads
By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Beads are one of the most popular items for adorning dresses and accessories.
Yet, few people might be aware that beads have survived human history not only as accessories but also as living necessity.
Varying in size from a millimeter to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in diameter, the small and decorative objects are made of glass, plastic, and stone.
Beads can also be made from bone, horn, ivory, metal, shell, pearl, coral, gemstones, polymer clay, metal clay, resin, synthetic minerals, wood, ceramic, fiber, paper, and seeds.
The World Jewelry Museum is now displaying a total of 150 pieces of bead-decorated items, including accessories, costumes, paintings and sculptures.
Titled ``Beads Make the World Go Round,'' the exhibit displays the hidden meanings of the beads in terms of aesthetic, historical relevance and religious perspective.
``The exhibition is the first of its kind to be held in Asia,'' Elaine Kim, curator of the museum, said.
The exhibition is expected to help visitors discover a new kind of culture and civilization through the extraordinary collections assembled by the museum's director.
The exhibit shows the beads' history, ranging from the era before the Christ to the 20th century, and how they were used in both the East and West, including Africa.
The pieces include historic, social and cultural values the beads have retained over a long period of time.
The exhibition features Venetian floral beads from Italy (1880-1920s), which are regarded as the quintessential bead in history, a corset used in Kenya from the 20th century, a jacket from Belgium in the 19th century, a hat from Indonesia worn during the 20th century and even handbags from France, used in the 1880s.
According to organizers, African beads are regarded as living necessities used in daily dresses and formal looks, for both men and women.
Africans regarded the beads as symbols of social status, age, marriage and even properties.
In African society, people in different age groups had to change their accessories to reflect their age as society strictly divided the groups into different categories, stemming from childhood, teenagers, adults who are able to get married, and the elderly.
In Africa, Dinka women used to wear a red corset decorated with beads, when they were old enough to get married.
Venetian floral beads (1880-1920s) feature various styles and patterns, which targeted females in Europe and the United States.
The glass beads were hand-made products by Venetian merchants between 1920-1930.
A jacket from Belgium in the 19th century is a good example of an embroidered bead garment that was popular in fashion at that time.
Black jades were the most popular material, and also enjoyed booming growth during the Victorian period in Britain.
Kim said that glass beads, which were used in the jacket, were first imported by Indian merchants in Southeast Asian regions in the first century.
``Glass beads were usually used for knitting and embroidery,'' she said.
In Indonesia, hats used by the Dayak tribe were adorned with delicate beads in the 20th century. The hats were made to shield women's faces from strong sunrays in the special ceremonies.
Handbags from France in the 1880s were woven with beads and are similar with the recent beads-embellished handbags in its shape and pattern.
Weaving beads became popular in the 19th century but they required a long and complicated process to complete one bead-woven bag.
It takes about three weeks for a bead craftsman to finish one bag. For that reason, owning a bead bag was regarded as a luxurious item.
The exhibition will run until Aug. 31. Tickets cost 5,000 won. For more information, call (02) 730-1610.