Ornament - Beaded Wreath with Red Berries

Hand-beaded wreath with berries made by a women's co-operative in a small village on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala.  3"W x 3"H Glass bead exterior; plastic filling Spot clean

The women work in groups of five or so to produce these designs. The glass beads are placed in a multicolored pile upon a flat surface in front of each woman and are picked up on needles held between each woman's thumb and index finger in a process so quick and precise that it seems like sleight of hand. As beads accrue, the sculpture emerges. They must learn to weave or sculpt each new design and to achieve the uniformity necessary. They memorize hundreds of steps for each figure.