The history of beads goes back many, many centuries – to the Neanderthal man. They are one of the most common items found in archeological digs. Found in all shapes, sizes and materials beads were worn for adornment, to define social status and for religious and protective reasons. Fast-forwarding to contemporaneous times, stringing objects is still one of the most prevalent forms of jewelry making.
To follow is a guide to a few famous beaded necklaces. One is centuries old, one is made from black and tan beads and popularized by a modern icon. The others are strung pearls worn by USA First Ladies.
Ancient Gold Beaded Necklace of Lake Titicaca, Peru
Purportedly dating back 4000 years, this necklace is the oldest necklace found in archeological digs in the Americas. Made from nine tubular elongated gold beads, separated by stone disc spaced spacers, this necklace appears to have been formed by metalworking chunks of gold into a flat surface and folding flat sections over upon themselves to form tubes.
In ancient times, gold was worn to reflect the importance or wealth of its owner. In some cultures, wearing gold jewelry was limited to those with certain social status. Not much has changed with the perceived connotation of wealth with wearing karated gold in current times. Interestingly, design-wise this necklace would fit right in today’s juried high-end arts / crafts shows.
Rock Icon Jim Morrison's Love Beads
Fans of The Doors' vocalist Jim Morrison probably haven’t forgotten the album cover that featured a picture of Morrison wearing a tan and brown love bead necklace. Back in the day, sales of similar necklaces went through the roof.
Love beads date back to the 1960s, when the age-old method of stringing beads was popularized by the ‘hippies’ of that time period. Made from fairly inexpensive beads, these necklaces were worn by many anti-war protestors and were strung to look like tribal and ethnic necklaces.
Jacqueline Kennedy’s Triple Strand of Pearls
Former first lady - Mrs. Kennedy was photographed during the White House years wearing a triple strand of pearls lying at her collarbone for both casual and dressy occasions. This pearl necklace was the creation of Coco Chanel. The necklace has a slight space between the inner strand and the other two. It was a design preference of Coco Chanel so that the strands could be twisted in a certain way.
Barbara Bush’s Three-Strand Pearl Necklace
Former first lady Barbara Bush also favored pearl necklaces. Her iconic faux pearl necklace was designed by costume jewelry designer king, Kenneth Jay Lane.
Michelle Obama Mixes it Up
First Lady Michelle Obama wore single strand and multiple strands of pearls frequently while on the campaign trail with her husband – a trend she is continuing while serving as the USA First Lady.
For more information about beads, The History of Beads – from 30,000 B.C. to the Present by Lois Sherr Dubin is a very comprehensive source of information.
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