Just bead it, one enthusiast says

Courtesy of the Whole Bead Show
There will be beads of almost every size, shape and point of origin imaginable at the Whole Bead Show this weekend.

The Whole Bead Show runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow through Sunday at the Ilikai Hotel, with 70 exhibitors carrying beads measuring from a few millimeters to inches, and ranging in price from a few cents to $300 for some of the antique or handmade glass works.

Motherwell, who hails from California, says she's a third generation bead enthusiast and importer. Her grandparents imported beads from Europe, which she continues to do, and her father and brother make glass beads.

She organized her first trade show in 1992, and after visiting Hawaii for relaxation, she said, "I realized the people in Hawaii don't have the same opportunity to buy beads as the people in California or New York. Yet there's a wonderful community of bead people involved in the Bead Society and the Fiber Arts and Stitchery Guild."

A universal art form, there will be an abundance of beads from around the globe, from Paris to Tibet.

Although interest in beads has grown in the past few years, she said, "A lot of people don't appreciate beads until they go to a show.

"It's not just for fashion and jewelry anymore. People are using them in wall hangings, quilts, accessories and lamps, and they're also just collected."

Local store Bead It! will have a booth, providing on-site design and construction help for those who purchase beads but don't know how to string them together.

Admission to the show is $5. The Ilikai is at 1777 Ala Moana Boulevard.