The first summer I went out west I discovered bead stores. To me, they were the greatest thing in the world. They struck me with awe and wonder. I got some beads, and made little macrame necklaces I would give people, when they gave me rides when I was hitchhiking. Then when I was in Eugene, I made clay beads at my ceramics studio. I was hooked on beads!
At Valley House, by the creek was a plant called Jobs Tears. The seeds are these little grey, hard, oblong, things that make the perfect bead. Bead stores even sell them sometimes. You just put a needle through the middle, and you have a bead. They keep for ever too. I started picking Jobs Tears, going to Kapaa to a little bead store there and started making necklaces.
I didn't know at the time, that necklaces are a big part of the Hawaiian culture. Actually I didn't know anything about Hawaiian Culture, I was tucked back in the woods, with a bunch of American Hippies. I had a neighbor at Valley House who liked my necklaces. She told me that I should go to the north end of the island and look for her friend JR there. She says go to the big dry cave at the end of the road, and he sells jewelry there. Ask him if he will sell your necklaces for you.
I might mention here a truly amazing fact. I still didn't need much money. Valley House was free, but that wasn't the amazing fact. What is, is that I was STILL collecting unemployment from Syracuse!! I collected it the WHOLE YEAR in Oregon, and now, somehow I still qualified, and they transferred it to Hawaii! I never even had to look for work. What a different time that was!
Anyway, I didn't really need money, and I had never heard of selling jewelry before. But she told me to go, so I went. I guess Thomas and I hitch hiked there. We found JR at the dry cave, just like she said, selling jewelry. He was older than us. I showed him my jewelry, and told him my friend had sent me to him, did he want to sell it? He said sure, I gave it to him and left. They wasn't very much there. Maybe 8 pieces, not worth much. Little did I know then, that this was the beginning of my life long career of making and selling jewelry.
copyright 2010 © Stacey Bander. Please contact for any reuse.
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