The Inspiration for John Beeman

My start in jewelry design began while recovering from surgery. While passing the time shopping, I bought a necklace of white heart beads with fossil walrus ivory and amber tassels made by a Northwest Native American named Ed de Chon that inspired me to make something similar. I went to a local craft supply store and was dismayed by the selection of beads, so I began a search that lead to bead shows, local vendors, and ultimately to New York, India, Bali and beyond. I have met many people, made lifelong friends, and valuable contacts along the way all from the desire to replicate the inspiration found in that first necklace of Ed de Chon’s. I still have and wear his necklace and wouldn’t try to replicate it for the world.

After considerable searching, I began to find good sources for materials that worked well for making necklaces that seemed to satisfy my creative desires and please people near to me.  But my interest was growing beyond anything I had expected.  My search for better materials became more intense and my desire for improved technique, higher quality and better results was getting stronger with each piece I made.  With each visit to New York, I found myself in the Diamond District introducing myself to as many different people as I could find in an effort to acquire better and different materials of every kind to work with. As I traveled abroad, the search intensified. It became about the materials more than the technique or the design because I realized that, without fine material to work with, design and technique were secondary.

At this point, I have established excellent, reliable sources for the materials I use on a regular basis. I am always looking for more material wherever I go and find that the search for quality material remains a big part of the excitement of what I do.  It is the materials I work with that guide my process.  When I find exciting material, I almost always have a good idea of what or how I want to use that material when I first “meet” it.  I have a good memory and can pair up the new material with what I already have even if just in my mind, so that I am ready to construct the piece when I get to a worktable where I can gather material and get to work.

I love what I do and find great joy in this work.  I send it out with joy and hope that it brings happiness to those that wear it and share it.  After all, isn’t that the point, taking joy in each day and living each day as if that is the best time of our lives?  If you would like to talk with me, please email me at john (at) johnbeeman dot com. I would love to hear from you.