This section will talk about Beading, Beadwork, Beaded Crochet, French Beaded Flowers and all related subjects.

Beading has been done for many hundreds of years and in all types of cultures.  Here in the Republic of Panama, the Kuna Indians have been beading colorful "Chakiras" with seed beads for many, many  years.   The Panamanian Chaquira is very expensive and considered a part of our culture. The Kuna women also make arm and leg decorations called wini which are made of strung beads that once wrapped around the arm and or leg form geometrical patterns.

I was surprised to find out that beads were originally made popular in Italy, in Venice, and that beadmaking was for a time a very popular profession there.  The trouble began when beadmakers were able to make glass replicas of valuable gems.  After that the authorities closed all the shops that made beads and the few bead makers that remained had to migrate to an island ( I believe it was Murano, but I have to double check).