| Original Message: 'Who is who'? - Barbara |
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Hello! I have just read through the entries and it has been a pleasure and delight to learn more about you all - I was moved at such intimacy, and you all seem to be such lovely people. It must be the beads. I am British, married to a Japanese, dividing time between Norwich, UK; Manila, Philippines; and Sanda, Japan. We have three children in early twenties. The oldest is in the British parachute regiment, just returned from Afghanistan, the others still studying. My husband is an international lawyer and university professor. I trained as a teacher in Northeren Ireland, and my first job was in Kayseri, Turkey, where I became fascinated by the Hittite seals that were being uncovered in a mound near the city. There were some interesting beads too, and a shop sold them in the bazaar, but first of all I thought they might have been 'nicked' from the archeological site, and then I had no money in those days in any case, so I didn't buy any, but remember them with regret to this day. I liked looking at and feeling the beads and imagining where they had come from. I moved to Kuwait, but gave up teaching to become an air stewardess with Kuwait Airways - better pay and free travel all over the world. I did some sideline business importing garments from New York, Mumbai and Bangkok into Kuwait, and later I had another shop selling art works. I started buying jewellery, and semi-precious stones, and would add the odd bead from the shops I was visiting in Asia. They were ideal to slip into my handbag. I liked the look and feel of them, but knew nothing about them. At the end of my flying days I had a collection of stone beads. Then on a holiday in Manila I met my husband and I returned to teaching - I had my own pre-school here for some years - and brought up our children. After they left I began looking at the old stone beads I had collected years before and I started playing around with them, and decided to start stringing them - and that was it. Hooked. Manila is a good place for stone beads and glass from China. We have all sorts of pearls and corals here too. Stringing them and teaching workshops is now my part-time work/hobby. They sell old glass beads here too, but after some early mistakes I am rather sceptical about their provenance. I admire the gold work of pre-colonial Philippines, and there are working goldsmiths here who will copy designs, so whenever I make a little profit from the stones, I will commission some gold work, perhaps four matching beads, and so slowly accumulate enough beads for a pre-Hispanic style Filipino necklace. It's an endless loop, really I discovered BCN shortly after I discovered the internet, and I learn a lot from here. Mainly 'caveat emptor'. The stories I have heard about beads from vendors in Asian bazaars would fill a book with entertaining fantasy. I am in awe of some of the artists and experts who post here - many thanks for your generous contributions. I have lost the software interface from my digital camera (actually, I left it in England) but one of these days will upload some pictures. Thanks to all of you for sharing, and of course to our wonderful hosts, David and Joyce. PS - Mark and I (Pilipinasbeads) have already exchanged emails and plan to meet as soon as I recover from the holidays. PPS - I have a forum, and anyone is welcome to visit: All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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