Auntie's Beads Blog – Beading & Jewelry Making

For The Love Of Beads!
The very first job I ever had was working for a jewelry store that sold Native American handmade jewelry. We had an onsite certified jeweler who could do everything from soldering to setting stones, but he often didn’t have time to do simple things like making charm bracelets or restringing broken necklaces. So I learned… Though I became quite addicted to beading at the time and learned a lot about gemstones, findings, and components, I put all my beads and goodies away when I went to college. I was studying liberal arts and didn’t have much money or time for hobbies and crafts.

It wasn’t until I was a social worker that beads resurfaced in my life and the love affair began again, this time for good. It all started with a necklace I bought to wear as part of a Halloween costume, believe it or not. After Halloween was over, I loved the pendant so much that I wanted to find a way to incorporate it into my wardrobe in a completely different way. So I went to a local craft store and perused the bead aisles for an hour. I walked out with all the necessary beads and findings to create not only that necklace but several others.

I found beading so relaxing that I continued to create pieces at night without any idea in mind where my jewelry would end up or where my skill set would take me. When friends and family members saw my pieces, they asked when and where they could buy them. I had never even considered selling them but arranged to have a home show for the people who had encouraged and supported me and loved my work. It was a huge success and several other shows followed.

Then I came to Auntie’s Beads. I was thinking about going back to graduate school and wanted a job working a few days a week; I had no intention of staying here very long. But soon after I started my job as a member of the Order Fulfillment team, I was approached by Susie and offered a design position. Since I was still contemplating what to do with my life (teaching high school and doing social work had always been my goals but neither had worked out as well as I had hoped), I considered the offer some sort of sign as to what course my life should take. And so here I am almost 3 years later…

Even if I didn’t work for Auntie’s Beads, even if I hadn’t become a professional jewelry designer, I know that the love affair with beading would not have ended. I receive so many emails from people who tell me how much learning to create jewelry has changed their lives and, believe me, I understand! Beading has not only saved my sanity at times, it has also given me a completely different career direction than I originally anticipated; the things I get to learn—and teach—on a daily basis bring me so much joy. I am so grateful to be here, playing in the beads and sharing my knowledge and passion with others.

Shanna Steele,
Auntie’s Beads Designer