Beads Galore

Throughout recorded history, beads have been used to adorn, for example, clothing, hair, and jewelry. Some beads were used as currency. “Beads Galore” celebrates four types of beads originating in the glass works on the island of Murano, near Venice, Italy, including six-layer chevron beads, wedding cake beads, African trade beads, and millefiori (which, literally translated from the Italian, means “thousand flowers”). Skilled master artisans created delicate works of bead art which are almost universally recognizable and which remain highly prized today.