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PRINCETON AREA: SPOTLIGHT: To bead or not to bead: Crafters add personal touches by creating original jewelry designs

By Patricia Worklan Special Writer
    If you think beading just involves stringing some beads on thread, you have a lot of catching up to do.
    Bead stores offer workshops on micro macramé, lampworking, beadweaving, precious metal clay and beaded beads. The art of beading is flourishing.
    “Bead shops seem to be doing well,” says Lois Simon Rosenthal, president of the Bead Society of New Jersey. “It’s a great thing to do because everyone is so stressed out.”
    There’s also an element of exclusivity to the craft.
    “Most people bead because it’s a way of having a piece that no one else has,” says Doris Figueroa, owner of the Place to Bead in Princeton. Customers bring in dresses and design an original piece that matches their outfit perfectly, she says.
    The Artful Beads Studio and Workshop in Pennington is a beader’s paradise. The shop is filled with beads from around the world in every size, shape and color. If it all seems a bit overwhelming, there are plenty of finished pieces that can be used as inspiration.
    Co-owners Barbara Falkowitz, Laina Goodman and Amy Haftkowycz have channeled their passion for beads into the store. Ms. Falkowitz began beading in the 1970s, her interest fueled by Czech glass beads. Ms. Goodman, her daughter and the store’s resident color theorist, inherited her love of the craft. Ms. Haftkowycz’s specialty is lampworking.
    “Lampwork is small-scale glass blowing,” she explains. It results in spectacular beads that are miniature pieces of art.
    Beading can be as inexpensive or as pricey as your budget allows. It’s also a quick fix for the time- crunched crafter. An entire project can be done in 1½ hours. Beading is also said to calm frayed nerves.
    “We have a lot of customers that say this is therapy,” says Ms. Goodman.
    “You’re taking this moment and thinking, ‘What bead do I pick up next?’” says Ms. Falkowitz. “It’s a way to be in the moment.”
    Beaders get satisfaction from making something personal for someone else. “They get the therapy out of it and in the end have gifts to give,” says Ms. Goodman.
    At any bead store, feel free to ask for guidance. Employees will be more than happy to share their knowledge whether you’re a novice or experienced and looking to expand your repertoire. The Place to Bead and the Artful Beads Studio and Workshop offer classes and beading parties.
Beginner tips
    1. Select a project: A necklace, bracelet, watch or beadweaving project are good for a first-time beader.
    2. Plan your design: What length do you want your piece to be? Decide on a pattern or random design; the size and color of your beads; and whether you want your project to be symmetrical or asymmetrical.
    3. Gather your supplies: Basic beading supplies include flat pliers, wire cutters, a design board, beads, fishing wire and findings. Findings are the basic components of the piece excluding the beads. They include jeweler’s tools such as clasps, ear wires and headpins.
    4. Lay out your design: A design board is marked off in inches so that you can measure your piece. It has grooved channels to set up your project before it’s beaded onto the wire. This allows you to experiment with bead placement before stringing.
    5. Start beading: Affix the first clasp. Bead away!
    6. Finishing: At the end, attach the second clasp and finish the project. Enjoy!
The Place to Bead, 41 Witherspoon St., Princeton, 609-921-8050, beadnow.com.
Artful Beads Studio and Workshop, 7 Tree Farm Road, Pennington, 609-737-1077, artfulbeadstudio.com.
Bead Society of New Jersey, beadsocietyofnewjersey.org.