Karen Hill Tribe Silver: a story of a people

As the prices of precious metals soar, and ricochet across analyst's graphs it is clear that the demand for gold has made silver an even more precious metal. Curiosity has served us well in that a few years back when we were exposed to different silver beads and silver work, we searched and continue to search for where an item was made, who made it and how was it created. This proved to be intriguing and allowed for the justification of a journey or a diverted route.

This was the case in particular, as through my business dealings for another job in my other life, business required that a trip to Thailand take place and to a region in the north called Chiang Mai. A heavenly place that a certain community called the Karen Hill Tribe, created with the most rudimentary tools, and had faced extreme poverty and economic strife called their home. Simply put, the artistic creations of the Karen Hill Tribe craftsmen are unlike any silver work on the planet.

It has been documented that there presence in Thailand was since the 12th Century and it is believed that the Karen originally came from Tibet, through China, Myanmar (Burma) and then to Thailand. They are subsistence farmers who live at peace with nature and the forests. The Karen settled in what is termed the 'middle level' in the mountains, namely between 800 and 1,800 meters.

It is the beads that they have been making for hundreds of years that sustained them and actually allowed these communities to avoid displacement to a certain extent and some form of economic stability in their own abodes.

They live in an area covering four countries in the famed Golden Triangle covering Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam. They do not possess the sophisticated tools, machinery and the latest innovative technology that we rely on so heavily. Instead, due to these limitations and challenges a very distinct voice, style and imagery have emerged.

On my last trip to Chiang Mai, I was able to purchase beautiful samples of Karen Hill Tribe Silver and we will increase the range and expand the collection. The pieces are sold by grams and are sterling silver.

Workshop: Bohemian Delight Earrings

This is one of our first workshops on offer this season and will be repeated throughout. You will begin with basic stringing techniques and exploring color palettes through the project. There are over 10 color palettes to choose from and you will be able to complete your pair with ease. All the beads and crystals in this project are from the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic and were hand selected by both Bettina and I, hence the name Bohemian Delight.

Once you have completed the set, you can easily transfer the technique to other projects such as pendants, bracelets and necklaces. All tools, materials and workshop details will be coming your way in an upcoming post.

LB o J'zazz Workshops

When the concept of LB o J'zazz germinated a few years ago, one of the main activities both Bettina and I were adamant and passionate about was workshops, and lots of them. Covering a variety of mediums, techniques and approaches.

When you visit our shop in Shaab el Bahry you not only get to peruse,touch, feel and discover beads from all over the planet, you can sign up for an evening workshop. Once you signed up and attended- a few hours later you can easily walk out with a finished project. Everything from your own unique take on a key chain, simple or bold earrings, bracelets, hejab brooches, necklaces, mesbahs and more will be offered weekly to you.

The workshop fees include the essential materials kit, illustrated instructions and a material list of additional items such as tools and task lamps in order to complete the projects with ease. If you do not have the items required in the material list, they can be purchased at our Shaab el Bahry location.

Both Bettina and I have developed beautiful kits and projects that will allow you to complete a project and to start as many new pieces on your own.

Photograph taken by Laura Boushnak March 2009

Beading Thread At Its Best

One would think that all threads were created equal, however, after hours of frustrating experiences of constant fraying, splitting, breaking and extreme tangles and knots we would try another brand and keep on going in search of a reasonably priced yet, hassle free and dependable beading thread. After close to five years of experimenting, we can recommend C-Lon Beading Thread in AA and D sizes as ideally priced and dependable, in addition to having an amazing range of colors. It is manufactured in the USA and LB o J'zazz now offers it at our shop. For any projects requiring beading thread and in our workshop kits, C-Lon will be the thread of choice.

I use it extensively in my elaborate bead embroiderered objects, off loom weaving such as Peyote suffs, Ndebele stitch and the Spiral stitch to name a few. Depending on the project and stitches employed, you can condition your thread with Thread Heaven or Microcrystalline Wax. In many cases, beaders prefer not to condition their thread.LB o J'zazz offers over twenty two colors to choose from.

Sharq Market Offers Decopatch During Their Kid's Summer Program

Starting today and during the month of July the folks at Sharq Market have an activity area that welcomes kids from the age of 6-12 to learn and have fun with art in four different zones. This FREE service begins from 5PM until 8 PM weekdays excluding Sundays.

The area is specially cordoned off and is located on the ground floor right next to Sultan Center. As this is a great service free of charge, it is on a first come, first serve basis. The kids don on their special gowns and get to sample a variety of activities if they choose and have the choice of rotating in the areas.

There are two bright young aspiring ladies who are Decopatch literate and will work with young artists to learn or perfect the technique. Bring your kids for a session of Decopatch. It's great fun!

28 Faces Of The Beloved Rings By Fareed Abdal

When you look at a Fareed Abdal composition it resonates at different levels. You enter a 2-D realm that redefines, and deconstructs simultaneously the letter forms we have come to recognize as familiar. Through his deep experiences with Martial Arts and several key masters, combined with his love for the form of letters since Fareed was a little boy, his design and architectural endeavors professionally and academically all combined to flow through the ink on his oriental brushes and onto the surfaces of paper.
In this vein, Fareed wanted to take the forms and create a new interpretation. By wrapping the actual letters around fingers in the shape of rings through a sculptural form. As he explains, through how the letters in Arabic are categorized and in his belief, the letters in themselves release and have specific power and energy fields. In a fresh and arresting manner, as you see the 28 Faces Of The Beloved, you would like to try and sample all the rings and see how they unfold each in it's own way and specific relation to the shape of the hand and fingers of the wearer. The limited edition series are available by order at our shop. Each ring, made here locally in Kuwait will come with a write up by the artist and beautifully boxed. Available in sterling silver and gold by special order. Please contact us at lubna@lbojzazz.com or bettina@lbojzazz.com for additional information.

The stunning photographs that highlight the rich subtlety of the collection was captured by local photographer Nawaf Alali.

Planting the "SEEDS" of quality

Over the past few years, over lunches, working, walking, traveling and building our little business, one of the main issues that surfaces in our conversations and at times passionate debates at every level is the selection process of quality beads. To my own surprise, the topic comes up more and more frequently. As we own a business that at the end of the day aims to be viable and profitable, we are faced with the collective consciousness that has proliferated that "cheaper is better".
It is reduced to the smallest measurement in our field and that is the minute seed bead that is used for weaving, textiles embroidery and embellishment. Both Bettina and I have worked very closely with all types of qualities and ranges. After painstaking research, sampling and testing the simple equation that when you start with quality at the microscopic level, your chances as an artist, designer and craftsman to make something worthwhile increases dramatically. In the sea of sameness, this in itself will be a more visible differentiating feature.
It may take a longer time to catch on, but if I put myself in the shoes of a designer or craftsman I would want to work with the best materials. So, what we bring into the store for our valued customers and friends is what we would want for ourselves. Great product at a fair rate. In our own objects that we create that is our philosophy and part of what we want our visitors and clients to experience time and time again. A return back to quality that we seek in the people who create something that appears as insignificant as a seed.
The images above are an ideal example. Aside from the technique and the concept, it is the inherent quality of the materials and in particular the seed beads used that enables the object to move to another level. The seed beads used here are considered premium quality from both Japan and the Czech Republic. The stones in the beaded collar were selected and cut by none other than world renowned lapidary artist Gary Wilson. In the case of the Embroidered Cuff; the seed beads are also from the most talented producers , both in Japan and the Czech Republic. The moon cabochon is made by artisans who specialize in this range.

Czech Crystals Extravaganza

Our trek to the Czech Republic this past March is bearing the fruits of our labor. Beadaholics Bettina and Lubna in search of the finest, the unique and most beautiful crafted beads were on a mission. The mission was to find and bring to you what we call MC Beads which is Machine Cut Crystal. It is the crystal of Bohemia that has been of world renown for centuries.

You will be able to peruse and experience the shimmer, the mystery and sparkle of the finest Bohemian Crystal beads at J'zazz Beadz our new outlet in Shaab el Bahry. The whole collection was selected while we were in the glass making region of Bohemia, as the snow melted and in the wee hours Bettina and I, hand selected and previewed each and every color, size, shape and finish. Our partners in the Bohemian region, cook all their glass in-house. Mixing, and concocting the recipes to create consistently some of the best glass available today.

We hope that you will join us and celebrate the beauty and mystery that crystal has had on many people before us and many yet to come.

Kashmiri Beads, you say?

With many delays, hiccups, trials and tribulations thanks to the not so efficient services of TNT, it took us over two weeks to recieve our special order of Kashmiri Beads. Coming your way from our friends and crafters of the Indian Subcontinent.
These beads have a very tactile, and handmade feel to them and come in rounds, barrels, tubes and ovals. Each bead has the same pattern but differs with handmade pieces of glass, wire and metals embedded in a special clay like material and has rivets on both holes.
They are excellent focal beads, and can also be used as tassles and embellishments for clothing. For jewelry crafters they can be strung on yarns, silk ribbons, Soft Flex Beading Wire, cotton threads in a very eclectic style or combined with metal links or chain for a sleeker look. Some of them actually look like candy! Really!
They will be available at our shop mid this week. You will also be able to take some of our first workshops using these funky, colorful and exuberant beads for the summer.

Master Glass Maker Mr. Jindrich Ceska from Jablonec nad Nisou

On our first trip to Prague and the Czech Republic it was the intent of both Bettina and I to get as close to the famed cottage industry of glass makers and artisans in the glass making region as we could. From the standpoint of interaction, learning and having a better understanding and appreciation of the processes and to purchase direct from the artisans rather than increase the profits of huge companies who relied on these artisans but did not compensate them accordingly.

It was truly a journey of firsts for the both of us and the wonderful people that we met, who embraced our approach and were mirroring it in their own business and work attitudes. For all of the wonderful artisans who are honing their crafts in the little sheds scattered across the hill sides, for the families and cottage industry and the manufacturers who cook and make the glass, for the people who toil away in the heat of the furnaces and the kilns day in and day out to produce these objects.... We salute you.

We stayed in a small hotel outside the main town by the river Nisou that served skiers in the area. Anytime, we drove by chimney stacks attached to homes, cottages or larger structures we were informed that someone was up to something that had to do with Czech glass. We stayed in the region for over four days in the beginning of March as over two meters of heavy snowfall began to melt. Two days before we were to head back to Prague by bus, our dear friend and colleague Pavel took us to visit various artisans. To our amazement and surprise, one of the most prominent glass makers in the world of a special range of what is called special glass stones and cabochons lived and worked not more than 200 meters from our hotel!


Our aim, is for our readers, hobbyists, artists and designers to have a better understanding of the craft and to bring these special pieces from the Czech Republic and many other places on this planet to you. Mr. Jindrich Ceska, Master Glass Cabochon maker is our first from J'zazz Beadz highlighted artists.