By Daily Press staff
My Favorite! Bead Show, coming to Santa Monica May 19-21, offers the latest trends in beads and materials, as well as instruction to make your own beaded creations.
Celebrity jewelry designer and author Wendy Simpson Connor will be teaching a variety of beading techniques to attendees, who will learn the secrets of big jewelry designers. Under Connor’s supervision, they will learn to create all the fashion jewelry they desire, but haven’t been able to acquire.
Connor, known as “The Bead Lady,” is the author of the “Beading Book Series” which includes “The Best Little Beading Book.” She teaches workshops around the country and her student roster includes many celebrities who love to “do it yourself” when it comes to jewelry.
Connor is a frequent guest on HGTV and has produced two documentaries about beads. The first one, “The Bead Movement,” was a 1998 Oscar Qualifier and premiered at the Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills. The second one, “The Bead Movement/Director’s Cut,” won the Best Documentary Award at the New York International Independent Video and Film Festival in Manhattan.
My Favorite! Bead Show is a division of the International Gem and Jewelry Show, the oldest traveling gem and jewelry show in the United States. There will be exhibitors with beads from around the world, demonstrations by artisans, and free instructional workshops in beading techniques and jewelry design. With man-made beads to semi-precious and precious stones, to pearls, silver, gold, crystals, coral, turquoise and other colorful gemstones in various shapes, the show has something for every beader.
My Favorite! Bead Show will be at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium at 1855 Main St. Show hours are Friday, noon to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 12, 2006. Read the original PDF.