About Nomad

Why Nomad?

From 1990 - 92, I was working in Sudan with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. One day, a Sudanese friend took me to the ancient market of Omdurman, which has long been a trading post between East and West Africa, North and South. It was on that visit that I first encountered the glass beads and silver that became my first-ever necklace. From then on, I was hooked. The more I bought beads and made necklaces for myself, and later for friends, the more I became interested in the beads themselves. I discovered that the glass beads I bought had not been made in Sudan but were antique beads that had been made in Europe. This raised the question in my mind of how they got to Sudan, and opened the door into the history of beads. As I looked at the beads, I could not help wondering about who had previously owned these amazing works of art and craftsmanship and how far these particular beads may have travelled to now be in my hands.

The antique beads, silver and jewellery I work with have an equally nomadic history, being made in one country, traded with others, and crossing many borders. I have gathered them over almost 20 years of travel and exploration. This Nomad Collection is the story of my life and travels combined with the stories of the beads and silver.