Kate Drew Wilkinson Design

I've been making bead jewelry professionally for over thirty years. I've manufactured my work for national markets, and sold it across the United States in galleries and shows, written over 40 articles for the Lapidary Journal, made four how-to DVDs and written two books, both of which I first published myself in the late 1980's because there was virtually no information to be found on either wire working or marketing. These books are still in demand and selling in main bead supply catalogs and here in my Etsy store. I probably sound obnoxious trotting out this info but I do feel that having made so much effort over the years to share what I learned in the days when there was not much information out there needs to be told.. so forgive me! I generally teach bead making in England in the summer because I miss my homeland. In making bead jewelry, I have always chosen to design pieces that are above all classical and wearable, many of which will last for generations. In glass bead making, I do some traditional designs, designs recognizable for their simplicity and style, but my true love is working with stained glass remnants to bring the forces of nature, the movement of oceans, the textures of earth from above,and space, and to work with it's translucency. I also work with Effetre on other collections... my Millennium series, Camelot, and others still growing. Beads are my life and I feel a sense of urgency these days to pass on much of the knowledge I had to find on my own in the early days. In the meantime, I will try to put more pieces up in Etsy...