Beads are the oldest and most universal art form. Beads have been used throughout the ages and in virtually every culture, not simply as adornment but as an expression of social circumstances, political actions, or religious beliefs. Beads have also been widely used as a form of currency; as a symbolic representation of curative power; and as protection in the form of a talisman. Our ancient ancestors used readily available raw materials such as bone, horn, teeth, ivory, stones, nuts, seeds, shell, wood and a variety of plant and insect resins as beads. By using these natural materials, man created all styles of artistic ornamentation for himself. The variety was vast and ranged from headdresses, hats, caps, hair combs, earrings, and necklaces to bow quivers, waist belts, breast ornaments, skirts, cloaks, and shoes.

Some of the natural materials that have inspired generations to create beautiful and unique wearable art are described here.

Bone: Bone has been used as ornamentation for as long as man has been a hunting. Humans have been creative in their use of teeth, horn, claws, tusks, quills, feathers, and bones. Bone has a clean, white and smooth surface that can be easily carved, drilled, inlayed, and dyed thus allowing it to be turned into an object of great beauty. A variety of designs can be created from bone which makes it a versatile and satisfying medium to work with. Today, bone beads come in a vast assortment of shapes including bicones, saucers, sticks, rice, ovals, heishi, nuggets, cubes, animal fetishes, donuts, rounds, flat discs, tubes, and many other fun designs.

Nuts & Seeds: Nutshells and seeds provided the raw materials for the earliest beads. Fruit seeds and walnut shells are still popular bead materials and are still used today in some cultures for the making of prayer beads. Jewelry and other adornments made of organic materials such as these are rarely found in archaeological sites because of their fragile nature. Beads made from nuts, like the kukui nut, have thick shells which allows for deep and ornate carving. Other nut types include the pelinut, bettlenut and edjok nut. Beads made from seeds are also quite versatile and popular. Two popular seeds are sibucau seeds and pakalet seeds. Nut and seed beads range in shape from oval, nugget, round, cube, diamond, bicone, flat oval, disc, and tube.

Wood: Like other raw materials, man has used wood to craft beads from the earliest beginnings. The shapes and designs of wood beads range from simple and plain to incredibly intricate. The textures and colors of various woods add to their beauty. Colors vary from purest white to ebony, and textures range from porous to grained and patterned. The selection of wood beads is immense. Craftsmen throughout the world explore each piece of wood and find in it its unique beauty whether they work with bamboo, palm wood, rosewood, pine, cork, or any of the other softwoods or hardwoods. Their creations are objects of art to be treasured.

Shell: Like most of the other natural materials available to our ancestors, shell was a versatile and easily accessible material to be used for personal adornment. The earliest known beads, made of teeth and shell, were found in a cave in France where Neanderthal man had lived 38,000 years ago. Today, shell takes on many forms, including beads and pendants and ranges in size, shape and color. Mother-of-Pearl is one of nature's most lustrous and luxurious materials and has become a popular jewelry-making material. Some of the unique and fun shapes of shell include teardrop, oval, rectangle, round, donut, flat round, heishi, and other unusual and unique styles.

Pearls: The natural pearl, from earliest times, was among the most prized of all jewels, due in part to the risks endured by divers to collect these precious gems from the sea and the scarcity of the gems themselves. Freshwater pearls, also called river pearls, have been found in various rivers around the world for more than 2,000 years. A cultured pearl is born from a process that stimulates pearl production. Cultured pearls have improved in procedure and quality since they were first produced in 1896 in Japan. The quality, price and value of pearls are determined by five criteria; lustre, surface, shape, color, and size. The high lustre, smooth surfaced round pearl is considered to be more valuable than the low luster, irregular pearl. Shape and color are generally a matter of taste rather than a matter of quality.

Many of the beads used today in contemporary jewelry designs come from these natural materials made popular by our ancestors.