We All Go Through a Jewelry-Making Phase, Right?

My bead collection is the real deal

A fraction of the author’s bead collection — Photo by author

I tend to think of myself as someone who doesn’t get distracted by shiny things. Nothing fancy over here. I drive a black Hyundai. I wear no makeup. I don’t care about expensive jewelry or clothes. I maintain a consistent outer shell of faded neutrals and comfortable shoes. But, like Clark Kent, I’m hiding something beneath my mild-mannered exterior.

I have a secret love of treasure. I decorate my office with fairy lights and bright pillows. I use sparkly gel pens and saturated, swirling colors when I draw and paint. I fill my garden with pink, yellow, purple, and orange flowers.

I became infatuated with mushrooms a few years ago because of the endless shapes, textures, sizes, and colors they come in. They gleam boldly in russet, gold, blue, purple, and white within a setting of greens, earthy browns, and deep forest shadows.

But my biggest love? My deepest indulgence? Making beaded jewelry. I adore all beads — gemstone, glass, ceramic, wood, pearl (but never plastic). My collection would make a dragon gasp with envy.

There are over one hundred varieties of semi-precious stones. I can get lost in their names alone: amethyst, garnet, peridot, tourmaline — each word offers the promise of sensory delight…