Fireserpent Design's Beaded Flowers: A modern take on a 15th Century Art Form...
Each beaded flower consists of hundreds of tiny seed beads strung onto wire and shaped into petals and leaves of various shapes and sizes. These separate pieces are then twisted together to create either startlingly realistic full size flowers like a peace rose, or fanciful and striking accessories.
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The first time someone put glass beads on wire and shaped it into a flower is lost to history, but most familiar with the art agree it was during the Renaissance in 16th century Europe.
Though the main technique used to make beaded flowers is often referred to as French, examples of the art have been found from Italy (where the small glass beads were made), to as far north as England.
Like other folk art, the popularity of beaded flowers waxed and waned over the centuries, the tradition mainly kept alive through families and passed on from one generation to the next, until there was a resurgence during the mid to late 1800's.
For more on the history of beaded flowers check out my website - <a href="http://fireserpent.com/history.html">fireserpent.com/history.html</a>
My beaded flowers are made with glass seed beads, and may have crystal, pearl, or semi-precious stone accents.
**All orders will ship via USPS Priority Mail. Beaded flowers may look delicate, but the full size flowers can be deceptively heavy--larger bouquets can weigh 10lbs and over--and cumbersome to package, which is why the shipping costs vary with certain items.
Blackstone, VA,