Baltimore Bead Society

10/08/2026

09/25/2026

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Botanic beadery is blossoming!
You’re invited to contribute to our latest Community Project, and this year’s theme is “Community Blooms.”
We want you to create beadwork flowers that will be part of a year-long exhibit in our Gallery. Once finished, the individual items are used in fundraising efforts for the Museum supporting the staff, development, and programs of this community-based institution.
For more details and guidelines for the project, follow
the link: www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/community-blooms

09/16/2026

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Our 5th MOB Challenge announced!!
"Currents & Tides: Beaded life in the ebb and flow" asks you to show us what moves you about the sea.
Our home state of Maine has almost 3500 miles of shoreline and for thousands of years people here have depended on the ocean and rivers for their very lives.
Whether it’s reefs and canyons, sharks and octopuses, or lobsters and whales, come board your ship of creativity and embark on a seaworthy adventure. We can’t wait to see what you create inspired by peaceful waters, churning storms, rising tides, flowing currents, teeming life, and the voyagers who dare to explore it all.
www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/currents-and-tides-challenge

09/15/2026

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In 1927, archaeologist George Reisner excavated an undisturbed tomb beneath the Giza Plateau, uncovering the skeletal remains of an elite woman who lived during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu. Resting over her mummified body were thousands of ancient blue and green faience beads, their linen threads long decayed away.

Packed into thirty small storage boxes, the scattered fragments languished untouched in the basement vaults of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for sixty years. In 1987, research associate Millicent Jick took on the monumental challenge of solving the archaeological puzzle.

Guided by Reisner's original excavation photographs and precise field notes, Jick spent three meticulous years restringing roughly 7,000 faience cylinders and discs into their signature diamond lozenge pattern, resurrecting the world's oldest surviving complete beadnet dress.

08/02/2026

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07/10/2026

A Fruitful Night at the New Hope Lodge!

We are thrilled to share that the newly opened American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Baltimore City has officially resumed its bracelet-making events!

Led by our wonderful outreach coordinator, Yuko Ota, this program brings caregivers and patients together to take a creative break and craft beautiful memory wire bracelets. The Baltimore Bead Society is incredibly proud to provide all the materials and how-to guides for these sessions.

Yuko reported that their June 17th return event was a huge success, and just look at the stunning bracelets the participants made!

A massive thank you to Yuko and everyone who supports our BBS outreach programs. Your contributions help bring moments of creativity, community, and joy to those going through treatment and their loved ones.

07/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19LtHPUi52/

Botanic beadery is blossoming!
You’re invited to contribute to our latest Community Project, and this year’s theme is “Community Blooms.”
We want you to create beadwork flowers that will be part of a year-long exhibit in our Gallery. Once finished, the individual items are used in fundraising efforts for the Museum supporting the staff, development, and programs of this community-based institution.
For more details and guidelines for the project, follow
the link: www.museumofbeadwork.org/pages/community-blooms

07/09/2026

Great news, BBS community! 🕊️ Our contribution to the Peace Chain Project has officially been sent and received by the Midwest Bead Society!

We are incredibly proud to announce that our members submitted a grand total of 50 feet, 6 inches of beaded peace rings to the project.

A massive THANK YOU to everyone who contributed their time, effort, support, and of course, peace rings! We loved seeing members of all ages at our peace link classes, from our wonderful adults hard at work to the next generation of younger beaders joining in on the fun.

Check out the photos from our classes below, including a shot of Paula Privott modeling the incredible links before they were shipped out!

Thank you for making this outreach project such a huge success. 💖

07/08/2026

Winners of the Spring Bead Challenge!

Entries had to use glass, but the glass couldn't just be beads! (That was very tricky, Gay! 😉)

First Place: Barbara Svoboda for her amazing mosaic portrait of Joyce Scott.
Second Place (Tie): Donna Threadgill’s "Stained Glass Happy Peacock" and Joanne Kim’s "Multiple Media Winter Bling Blues."

Congratulations to our incredibly talented members! Check out the photos to see the winners with our challenge creator, Gay Durland.

06/05/2026

Swarovski officially reversed its 2021 restrictions, announcing that crystal components are freely available to all customers again. As of June 1, makers, hobbyists, and businesses can purchase loose crystals, beads, and flatbacks with no brand control agreements or minimum approvals, and they can freely use the Swarovski name in marketing.

Send a message to learn more