Sunday 7 December 2008

Viking Beads

Apparently a tenth century Arab once said that the Vikings would go to any length to get hold of colored beads.  They valued beads so highly that they were considered to be a valuable property and were past down through the generations.  Beads are the most commonly found artifact in pre-Christian Viking graves, kinda shows just how important they were.

That really got me thinking about what sort of beads they liked when I came across these modern reproduction of Viking beads

ModernReconstructionsOfVikAgeBeads

They all look a bit like newbie beads to me...  they also had Millefirori beads

VikingAgeMillefiori 

that was quite a surprise to me.  It appears that they made them in more or less the same way we make them today.

So how did they use them... by the looks of it in treasure bracelet  and necklaces which would be incredibly contemporary today.

Got me thinking about how to use the beads I create and I wondered if Viking Knit could be a way to show them off.  Turns out to be a fairly easy thing to do and can create different effects

IMG_3738

So here we have a test bracelet I've made for myself.  Before I make or sell anything for anyone else I generally do a test piece first or use techniques I'm sure of.  Turns out to be a good practice as a necklace I bought from a friend and have worn 3 times broke this morning as I was putting it on as the beads were just too heaving for the stringing material.

IMG_3735

Thank you for your interest in my work

Julie

2 comments:

  1. its really good that you test it before selling...anyways your creation with the beads r really awesome..i like the necklace....it looks trendy

    PS: I have initiated an idea to create a fashion and style blogroll where bloggers from the jewelry, fashion, style and beauty could participate.
    All you need to do is to add my blog link to your blog and i'll do the same.
    That way, we could have a mutual partnership and we could refer visitors to each other's blog.
    Please let me know if you would be interested.

    Thanks!
    Barbara and Ellen
    The Gals at SoHo"
    http://sohoaccessories.blogspot.com

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  2. Hi Julie,
    I just found this post while I was searching Viking beads - nice pictures! I've tried a little Viking knit and want to do more -- did you have success working your beads into it?
    I was just at L'anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland and was a bit disappointed to find they didn't have anyone local making Viking inspired beads from them. I keep coming back around to wanting to recreate some historical beads, maybe this time I really will!

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Thank you for commenting on my post. I really appreciate the time and thought you have put in

Julie