News
Bead expert brings history to Farmers Market
 |
| Annette Kelly | Special to the Green Valley News He’s the Bead Man: Steve Ellis is at the Green Valley Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays. |
By Annette Kelly, Special to the Green Valley News
Beads for jewelry or decoration are common, but Steve Ellis also delivers a history lesson that goes back hundreds of years along with the beads at his Farmer’s Market booth each week.
And shoppers love it.
“I started out selling seeds for loofah and gourds at the Farmer’s Market and put a few of my old beads out for people to see,” he says. “Originally, I didn’t think Green Valley had a large enough interest in old-trade beads, but apparently they do. I’ve done surprisingly well.”
Old beads are Ellis’ hobby. He specializes in glass trade beads from the 1400s through the 1800s, “the age of exploration and expansion.”
“The majority of these were made in Bohemia (the Czech Republic), and in Venice, Italy,” he says.
“Beads are made of natural materials in indigenous societies, therefore they had never seen this type of glass bead before. They were highly valued for trading. They were also used as currency, to show status and to indicate strength and longevity in different societies.”
Steve brings beads from 600 B.C. forward each week for people to touch, explore and purchase. “Price is not determined solely by age,” Steve says. A shopper studies a bead and, Steve says with gravity, “Do you know how many people have worn that bead?”
“Beads were man’s earliest artistic expressions; we have cave drawings from 29000 B.C.; the first decorated, carved and colored beads are from 70000 B.C.,” he says.
Steve can tell shoppers the history of each bead he offers, having researched and studied them for more than 22 years. “Some decorators are using these for wall art,” he says.
A relatively new use for beads has been as encouragement for young cancer patients.
“In the early years of pediatric cancer treatment, approximately 80 percent of the kids did not survive, so most of the effort, research and treatment went into keeping them alive,” he says. “Now that treatments are more effective, approximately 80 percent of the kids survive. This means there are now so many kids out there with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), anxiety and depression resulting from their disease — these kids need something to focus on.”
His friend, pediatric oncology nurse Jean Baruch, came up with the Beads of Courage program in 2004. It has now spread from Arizona to 55 hospitals in the U.S., Japan and South Africa.
“Each child in the program is awarded a bead of courage for each treatment milestone they undergo. These include things like loosing their hair, bone marrow transplants, all kinds of things,” he explains. “The program is hoping to bring out the natural resilience in these children and it is working. The beads become a status symbol for the kids in treatment — they’re really proud of them.”
“It was a gift to me to be involved in this,” Steve says. “I’m the resident bead historian for the group. Kiwanis is our corporate sponsor.” Go to www.beadsofcourage.org to learn more.
If you go
Green Valley Farmer’s Market runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Green Valley Village, Esperanza Boulevard and La Canada Drive.
Read about us online at: www.greenvalleyfarmersmarket.org
And shoppers love it.
“I started out selling seeds for loofah and gourds at the Farmer’s Market and put a few of my old beads out for people to see,” he says. “Originally, I didn’t think Green Valley had a large enough interest in old-trade beads, but apparently they do. I’ve done surprisingly well.”
Old beads are Ellis’ hobby. He specializes in glass trade beads from the 1400s through the 1800s, “the age of exploration and expansion.”
“The majority of these were made in Bohemia (the Czech Republic), and in Venice, Italy,” he says.
“Beads are made of natural materials in indigenous societies, therefore they had never seen this type of glass bead before. They were highly valued for trading. They were also used as currency, to show status and to indicate strength and longevity in different societies.”
Steve brings beads from 600 B.C. forward each week for people to touch, explore and purchase. “Price is not determined solely by age,” Steve says. A shopper studies a bead and, Steve says with gravity, “Do you know how many people have worn that bead?”
“Beads were man’s earliest artistic expressions; we have cave drawings from 29000 B.C.; the first decorated, carved and colored beads are from 70000 B.C.,” he says.
Steve can tell shoppers the history of each bead he offers, having researched and studied them for more than 22 years. “Some decorators are using these for wall art,” he says.
A relatively new use for beads has been as encouragement for young cancer patients.
“In the early years of pediatric cancer treatment, approximately 80 percent of the kids did not survive, so most of the effort, research and treatment went into keeping them alive,” he says. “Now that treatments are more effective, approximately 80 percent of the kids survive. This means there are now so many kids out there with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), anxiety and depression resulting from their disease — these kids need something to focus on.”
His friend, pediatric oncology nurse Jean Baruch, came up with the Beads of Courage program in 2004. It has now spread from Arizona to 55 hospitals in the U.S., Japan and South Africa.
“Each child in the program is awarded a bead of courage for each treatment milestone they undergo. These include things like loosing their hair, bone marrow transplants, all kinds of things,” he explains. “The program is hoping to bring out the natural resilience in these children and it is working. The beads become a status symbol for the kids in treatment — they’re really proud of them.”
“It was a gift to me to be involved in this,” Steve says. “I’m the resident bead historian for the group. Kiwanis is our corporate sponsor.” Go to www.beadsofcourage.org to learn more.
If you go
Green Valley Farmer’s Market runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday at the Green Valley Village, Esperanza Boulevard and La Canada Drive.
Read about us online at: www.greenvalleyfarmersmarket.org
Copyright © 2010 - Green Valley News and Sun