PO Box 452
Asheville, NC 28802

Amolia Willowsong Willowsong Design

Willow began designing and creating ceremonial art and beaded adornments in 1990. After a career in advertising, design and print reproduction, she studied the art of beadweaving with two Native American teachers. This was the birth of a passion for designing with beads. Willow creates distinctive and elegant wearable art including one-of-a-kind neckpieces, bracelets, earrings and pins. Her work is characterized by colorful and graceful sculptured beadwork interwoven with natural semi-precious stones. Her pieces feature gold seed beads with Peruvian opals, turquoise, amethyst, lapis, jade, and always a piece of polished abalone or pearls to bring a reflective brilliance to each piece. The organic look of her work has been described as “water flowing over stones in a mountain stream.”

Beadweaving dates back many centuries in Europe, Asia and then the U.S. The skills have been passed down through indigenous cultures with their traditional styles to new forms of freeform hand weaving techniques. New and old beads and stitches are converging from all over the world bringing new and exciting weaving possibilities. Japan and the Czech Republic produce most of the world’s seed beads. Glassworkers form and fire the beads with metallic oxides and salts for their varied and beautiful colors and finishes. Gold, copper, iron & cobalt are fired to produce metallic beads. "A new design begins with a gemstone. It can be a natural crystalline amethyst cluster, aqua blue Peruvian opal, faceted green tourmaline briolette or perhaps a bright orange/red sunstone. Selecting a palette of colorful seed beads to enhance the stone, I begin to work, attaching beads to the gemstone’s bezel, weaving one bead at a time into a freeform tapestry. I also include other small gemstones and tiny pearls for texture and contrast." "I enjoy making wearable art that is soft, light weight and conforms gracefully to the body – art pieces that easily adapt to one’s clothing, casual or elegant. Each piece is impeccably crafted while remaining organic, feeling as sensual as it looks."