An Explosion of Color

This week marked the end of the quarter, and let’s just say that I’m exhausted. The stress has built up over the past 10 weeks, and by Thursday, I was in dire need of stress relief.

I decided to try a new stress-reliever: beading.

I used to love making necklaces and bracelets when I was little, but as I got older, I grew out of that. But as of Thursday, the no-beading era has come to an end.

I dragged my friend Alex, who documented the trip with photos, on the 15-minute trek across campus to Beads & Things on Shafer Street.

As we neared closer to the shop, which is on the first floor of a small, red house, I started to get excited to de-stress.

I slowly turned the squeaky knob on the white, wood-framed glass door, not knowing what was in store for me behind the door.

We walked in, puzzled as to where to go next. Seeing beads around the corner, I figured I should probably head in that direction. Lo and behold, as soon I stepped around the corner, I was totally engulfed in beads … and things.


The sunlight streamed through the windows and reflected off the mirrors and glass shelves, ultimately bouncing off the beads and causing a prism effect on the walls.

Before getting there, I assumed beads would be hanging from walls, but I never imagined this many. It seemed as if every inch of the room was covered in strings of beads, strategically arranged by color, or with the shelves that house tiny glass dishes filled with beads from foreign countries, gems, stones and various other trinkets and charms.




As I slowly paced the length of the room, my eyes did not leave the dazzling array surrounding me, until a female employee—wearing layers of simple clothing with her hair loosely pulled back—asked if I needed any help.


“Umm… Yeah.” I replied, also explaining that I’d never been there before, and I had no idea what I was doing. After telling her I wanted to make gold earrings, she handed me two gold-covered metal pins and then sent me to pick out the beads I wanted to use. It literally took me 10 minutes to decide on four pairs of beads.


Once I finished the grueling process of decision-making, she asked me to pick out the type of hooks as well. Saving myself some time, I pointed to the top hooks and said, “I’ll just take those.” I really don’t liking having 10 options of hooks.

Knowing I was clueless about jewelry-making, the employee walked me through the process.

Surprisingly, making the earrings was easier than I anticipated; however, it does take patience and steady hands. And the best part is that it cost me less than $4 to make, which is worth it.

I’m not sure why, but the 30 minutes I was there made me relax. Maybe because the experience took my mind off classes and the work I have left to finish? What I do know is that I’ll definitely be back next week to take off the stress of finals.

P.S. Check back soon for a slideshow of the earring-making process.