The blue bead

Summary: The small but splendid bead is appreciated worldwide; the variety of shapes and materials as endless as your imagination. Used by people from prehistoric to modern times, beads have been symbolic in religious ceremonies, used as currency for trade, and artists have used them to depict dreams, myths, stories, and in their expressions of everyday life. The tiny colorful glass seed beads used to make up these intricate illustrations tell a tale of an 18th century Bohemian blue glass trade bead that survives its journey into modern day Alaska. One of the fascinating things about old beads is that each one has a different history. Where a bead has been and who its previous owner was often remains a mystery.