4th January 2010, 01:23 PM
Thank you for putting the pdf here for download, it is very much appreciated.
A small introduction, then. I'm Su Poole, I do most of the online work and research, my husband Mike does the beadmaking based on what we find either in reports, or by going to museums to look at the beads on display or in various relevant publications.. We've been fortunate to be allowed to handle beads from the Carleon Roman Museum collection, and hope to do the same at other museums over the coming years. Mike has been a full-time beadmaker for almost seven years, creating contemporary glass beads. About four years ago, we visited the Yorkshire Museum with an eye to Mike making some melon beads for me, based on the beads in the display. It expanded from there as we found that the variety of beads on display in the YM and elsewhere showed what a extensive quantity and type of beads were created or in use in the UK over a very long time.
We are not archaeologists, we probably fit into the category of independent researchers. Our main interest is beads, modern or historic. Much of what we've read over the past four years has shown that the theories available on how beads were made could use a bit of updating. Some of this is most likely due to the lack of access to opportunities to see or experience the techniques of glass being melted, formed and worked into beads. As far as we are aware, with the exception of one or two hobby-level beadmakers and re-enactors, there is no one in the UK at present who has spent any time researching and reproducing beads from various examples available from reports or museum examples.
If anyone has questions, they are more than welcome to ask here, or by PM or email us. Our information is in the profile here.
Thanks for the welcome to the forum.
Mike and Su Poole
(I apologize for using 'artifacts' rather than 'artefacts' in the pdf, it's cross-cultural contamination, which happens on occasion. -Su)
A small introduction, then. I'm Su Poole, I do most of the online work and research, my husband Mike does the beadmaking based on what we find either in reports, or by going to museums to look at the beads on display or in various relevant publications.. We've been fortunate to be allowed to handle beads from the Carleon Roman Museum collection, and hope to do the same at other museums over the coming years. Mike has been a full-time beadmaker for almost seven years, creating contemporary glass beads. About four years ago, we visited the Yorkshire Museum with an eye to Mike making some melon beads for me, based on the beads in the display. It expanded from there as we found that the variety of beads on display in the YM and elsewhere showed what a extensive quantity and type of beads were created or in use in the UK over a very long time.
We are not archaeologists, we probably fit into the category of independent researchers. Our main interest is beads, modern or historic. Much of what we've read over the past four years has shown that the theories available on how beads were made could use a bit of updating. Some of this is most likely due to the lack of access to opportunities to see or experience the techniques of glass being melted, formed and worked into beads. As far as we are aware, with the exception of one or two hobby-level beadmakers and re-enactors, there is no one in the UK at present who has spent any time researching and reproducing beads from various examples available from reports or museum examples.
If anyone has questions, they are more than welcome to ask here, or by PM or email us. Our information is in the profile here.
Thanks for the welcome to the forum.
Mike and Su Poole
(I apologize for using 'artifacts' rather than 'artefacts' in the pdf, it's cross-cultural contamination, which happens on occasion. -Su)