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Maureen Warner "Millefiori Designs"
Jewellery Designer (Canberra, ACT)
I started working with beads while we were living in the United States in the 1980s largely as a result of 3 coincidences. Firstly, I decided to learn traditional silk knotting techniques to restring some of my own jewellery. That one class has stood me in good stead and I still use the techniques of finishing all my strung necklaces with French wire and using crimp covers for a professional finish. Second, my husband was, at the time, working in Nigeria and Ghana and brought back lots of very interesting old beads – Venetian millefiori, old carnelian, chevrons, wedding cakes, clay spindle whorls and sand cast bronze beads to name a few. And lastly, I was working with a friend making “art to wear” which we sold through galleries, boutiques and at craft fairs in the Washington DC area. It was a natural progression to include my jewellery designs in our range.
A couple of years ago, through contacts in the United States, I became aware that there were stockpiles of vintage uncirculated handmade beads and buttons kept in warehouses in the jewellery district of New York, in store rooms in Venice, the Czech Republic and in Germany. These beads ended up in the dark for a number of reasons. In some instances it was the political situation in the country which had made trade difficult or impossible. Another reason is that family studios stopped operating when the next generation preferred another occupation and the family simply closed down the studio and stored their inventory. There were, of course, bead enterprises which went out of business for financial reasons and their inventory was stored and forgotten in basements. Another reason was the change in direction the jewellery industry took in the 1960s when the flower children preferred love beads, African trade beads, ceramics etc to classic beaded styles. Jewellers and costume jewellery companies who had ordered handmade glass beads or Lucite beads often simply stored their inventory. And, of course, there have always been bead collectors who acquire them for their beauty and artistry.
I now work almost exclusively with vintage uncirculated rare beads and am captivated by them not only because of their beauty, variety and the intricacy and quality of the workmanship but also because of the stories behind the beads. Beads have been part of history since the earliest times. They were traded along the Silk Road, in Africa and the Americas. When you hold one in your hand you are holding a place and a window in time.
My design style could be called “classic” – I prefer to feature one or two types of bead and complement them with silver, gold or brass. I believe, in the case of vintage items, that the piece will be more valuable and more collectible when it is itself a collection. I also prefer simple rather than intricate styling so that the beads themselves take centre stage – and they do it in magnificent style!
For information on how to purchase my jewellery, please contact me below or call 0412 661 077 during business hours. Gallery enquiries welcome.
Contact Maureen Warner
Visit Maureen's ETSY store
Exhibition Background
"into the light" 2009
"Into the Light" Exhibitions 2007 and 2008
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