Jablonec nad Nisou, CZ; a.k.a. Beadville

One of my friends, Joanna, is one of the most talented and artistic crafters I know. She started a Praha chapter of Stitch and Bitch (a knitting group for those outside the knitting world!) and has such a multitude of artistic talents that I couldn’t possibly list them all. One of her many talents is making jewelry, so when she proposed a trip to “Beadville, CZ”, I couldn’t say no to the experience. Let me explain…

If you’ve kept up with our blog, a few months ago, we visited a glass artist friend of ours in northern Bohemia. From him, we’ve learned that glass making and blowing has been and continues to be an important artistic tradition in the Czech Republic, particularly in Bohemia, the northern part of the CZ. Another Bohemian town, Jablonec nad Nisou, has been a center for making glass beads and jewelry. Apparently, Czech beads from Jablonec have been famous since the 17^th century. Who knew? Not me, but Joanna did! So four of us, Joanna, her friend Jessica who was visiting from the States, Sara and me went on an adventure to Jablonec nad Nisou.

The day was a snowy one, complicated by frigid temperatures. We didn’t let that stop us! Sara has the most pimped out seven passenger minivan I’ve ever been in, and along with her expert driving, we cruised through the wintry weather with no problems. Beadville was only 1.5 hours from Prague, so it was an easy day trip. Both Jessica and Joanna are artists who make jewelry, so it was fun for Sara and I to learn a thing or two along the way. We roamed around town, went to the local museum, ate some delicious Czech pastries, and then hit the stores. Because the beads are made in this town, the local stores sell beads wholesale. According to my informants, the beads were extraordinarily inexpensive. I now have lots of gorgeous glass beads, and a wonderful friend to teach me how to make jewelry!