Bead Buying in the Czech Republic

 I have traveled to many places and rarely return to the same city because I have so many others I want to visit and enjoy. Prague is an example of a lovely city I liked, but wouldn't have returned if it hadn't been for discovering the area where glass beads are created in centuries-old factories.

  In 2017, I was heading for my first trip to Czech Republic when I realized many of my favorite beads come from there. I googled to find bead stores and found Bananas4Beading instead. The company, owned by an Englishman, Keith Dudman, and Simi, his Czech wife, book 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5-day tours of factories in Jablonec. www.bananas4beading.com
 I emailed and booked a one-day tour for my husband and me in the middle of our week in Prague.
What I learned from Keith appalled me—that these centuries-old family-run factories are in jeopardy because they can’t compete with the cheaper Chinese-made beads. Many have already closed. I made it my mission to return and bring others to do a small part to promote the Czech glass bead trade. 

 These ladies make lampwork beads in a small establishment. They collaborate with the owner on bead styles, colors, shapes, then create jewelry that is sold to shops. All these women once worked at a factory that had to close. We each got to make a lampwork bead which thrilled both of us.

 Below are pictures of the first stop on my day trip with rows and rows of beads.

 What impressed me the first time was Keith's knowledge and enthusiasm, explaining how different types of beads are made in each factory. He kept us intrigued as he explained how each machine worked its magic.

 Keith doesn’t just drive people, he entertains with stories and anecdotes about the area, his family, the beading history of the area, his bees, and anything else that comes up along the way. On my first day trip with my husband, he kept Matthew entertained while I cruised up and down aisles of beads with a large cart. He was available to answer my questions as well, plus took us into the factories and explained the machinery and how everything worked. My husband hardly noticed I added 22 lb. of beads to our luggage!

 The following year I returned with 3 women for a 4-day tour with Keith. 
 During the trip, we ran into a large tour group who were having a great time, but also on a different type of experience than we. They had a private well-known teacher onboard who provided classes, stayed in a larger hotel to accommodate more people, and visited different, bigger factories that could accommodate the size of their group. Their trip was also more expensive than ours, including time in Prague, which the 4 of us did on our own. 

In Prague: I always think a food tour is a must in any new city.

One of our few sit-down lunches with Keith. When pushed for time between factories, we ate in the market or in the car!

 Bananas4Beading only takes up to 7 at a time, which means groups can get into more places and stay together as a group. That larger group had to be divided in half to accommodate the showroom. 




 When we met that tour of 30 beaders who could only come into the showroom half at a time for about 30 minutes, I realized how fortunate we were because our small group could go anywhere, all together and without a time limit! Plus, we could return on another day if we wished we had bought more there (and we did).
  Our hotel was in a neighborhood with a park setting—not a fancy place, but a locally-owned hotel with a very good restaurant and friendly staff. We started each day with a warm breakfast and ended with a great dinner in the dining room enjoying our camaraderie and sharing the day’s experiences. Food was reasonably priced and delicious. The private rooms are basic, but clean and spacious enough.

 We traveled by van and saw the picturesque countryside, often met the company owners, learned how different types of beads are made, and spent as much time as we needed in each factory. With Keith serving as our guide, the bead tour days are filled with visits to places most bead admirers never see.  During the last 10 years, he has befriended many factory owners who allow him to bring his clients in to see the bead-making process and to buy their products. He speaks fluent Czech and can either translate for his group or explain the whole process. We were taken to smaller, family-run businesses with showrooms and storerooms for buying.

 We visited 3-4 beading factories or shops each day and were overwhelmed with the variety of beads. Each specialized in styles of beads, so we had something unique to buy everywhere we went. Driving from place-to-place, Keith pointed out the double chimneys at about every third house, meaning it was originally a home where beads were made. 

 The area feels magical with its rich history. 

 One morning, Keith introduced us to one of two (from 500) remaining glass button-makers in his studio. What a wonderful treat to watch him create pressed glass buttons from an array of press designs that have been used for centuries. He doesn’t have a public showroom, so we were very fortunate Keith knows him and was able to get us in to watch and ask questions. We requested another visit the following year to ask him questions and spend more time there after realizing what a unique experience it was.

 
   A special treat was an evening spent at the home of Eva, a jewelry designer who gave us a lesson on Zoliduo beads we purchased that day. Her parents greeted us with huge smiles and Eva was a great teacher—with Keith as interpreter. We each came away with a beautiful beaded bracelet and a new technique to share with fellow beaders at home. The technique was totally new for most of us, but she patiently helped each, and Keith translated when necessary. What a special moment to be greeted by Eva and her parents into their home. 

 Our last day, we were given options of returning to places we’d already been, going to new places, or a combination of both. Two of us really loved the antique bead shop where we explored every corner and nook and drawer for over an hour without touching the amount of things he had in there. I bought old findings, rhinestones strips, and old bead counters that are conversation starters. We opted to return the last day.

 I came away from the 4 filled days in 2018,  thinking I had enough beads to last me for years, but kept dreaming and talking about the most thrilling trip I’d ever taken. A year later, two of us returned to do it all again. 

 In 2019, we returned for a 5-day tour with Keith. He had new places for us to explore along with favorites we requested from the last year. It’s hard not to think about the wonderland of glass beads in every factory. Just when you think you’re done and have enough purchases, you enter another showroom with more colorful, unique specimens you cannot resist. 

 Our class was with two lovely women at one of the factories where they have a great showroom. We learned how to make beaded beads with 2 sizes of seed beads. 

 I had never done anything like this before, and our teachers were very patient and helpful—and they spoke very little English and we speak no Czech, but we smiled and laughed together.  Large groups cannot have this type of one-on-one experience.

 On our last tour day with Keith, we had a choice of a several tourist-type activities or visiting more bead factories before returning to our Prague hotel, about 90 minutes away. We chose more factories, though I told Keith I probably wouldn’t buy much on this last day.

 I had my suitcase and carry-on stuffed with beads and I couldn’t imagine finding more I’d want. Boy, did I eat my words! 

 He took us to a factory/showroom not far from our hotel we hadn’t visited. It had two rooms packed full with beads, the likes of which we hadn’t seen before, and I bought more there than anywhere else. Keith couldn’t wait to repeat my words from that morning back to me so we could all laugh as I held up two very heavy bags of beads for a picture.

 He offered to ship packages home, if necessary, and had a gadget that weighed our baggage so we would know we weren’t over the limit. I managed to split my last purchases between the two suitcases and hoped I wouldn’t have to pull my own bag off the carousel at the airport. I thought the wheels were broken on my large suitcase because I had to drag it through the hotel. Turned out the wheels were fine--just trying to lug the 65 lbs of weight. Even so, I didn’t regret one purchase. 

 Americans tend to think “bigger is better,” but when it comes to roaming the countryside in Czechia’s bead towns, Bananas4Beading intimate tour is the best possible mode of travel. 

 My intent is to motivate others into buying beads from their place of origin or at the very least, put it on their bucket lists.  They import to many companies in the US if you can't get there in person.

Once the last of the button-makers is gone, glass pressed beads might be a thing of the past. 

We could lose much of the Czech glass bead industry as well if we don’t support it.
 Am I ready to go again, even knowing I have enough beads to last me the rest of my life?
 Yes.