FALBE - A Special Order, the Sparkle of Autumn/Winter Beads

Beads that sparkle with an elegant shine.
The beads we grew up with as children still make our hearts flutter even now that we're adults.

FALBE is a beaded accessory brand built around the concept of "a life with beads,"
founded by MIYUKI, a company that has long led Japan's beads industry.
This time, we're shining a spotlight on FALBE's 'MADE IN JAPAN Beads,' introducing ZUTTO's specially ordered necklace and
the new series [Diane], as we rediscover the charm of beads.

This time, we produced our first-ever special order piece of FALBE beaded accessories,
and it began with a wish from our staff: "We want people to enjoy beads with a summery image in autumn and winter, too."

Beads have a cool, sparkling impression, and tend to carry the image of being a "summer accessory," don't they?
But looking at FALBE's beaded accessories, we felt that their beauty transcends the seasons, and a wish was born to introduce designs
that people would want to wear in autumn and winter as well—so we approached FALBE with our request.

While we had the desire to create something people would want to wear in autumn and winter, we repeated trial and error with
the designer to figure out just what combination of design and color would work best.

We adopted a "bunch necklace" design, reasoning that some length along with an appropriate volume and presence would be ideal.
Using MIYUKI's seed beads generously, and drawing inspiration from scenes of autumn and winter nature,
we created an overall chic coloring with an accent color placed somewhere within it.
Even beads of similar color can look quite different depending on how they're finished. Whether the hole of the bead is silver-lined,
the surface has a metallic finish, or it's matte...
We agonized over the order of colors and how much space to give the accent color—and after much deliberation, we arrived at a piece the staff was truly satisfied with:
the specially ordered bunch necklace, available in 3 colors total.

Autumn Leaves [Kōyō]
From autumn to winter. As if capturing the beauty of a fleeting moment within a necklace, we based this piece on orange, red, and vermilion,
with a touch of green as an accent. Enjoy it with thoughts of autumn in Japan, a country blessed with four distinct seasons.

Northern Lights [Aurora]
Nothing captures the longing of a winter night quite like the aurora. There's no chance to see one in Japan, but
aren't there many people who dream of seeing one someday? Auroras come in various colors such as green, blue, pink, and yellow,
but we designed this piece with the green aurora in mind, said to be the most commonly seen color.

Morning Glow [Asa no Hizashi]
As the weather grows colder day by day, the beauty of the morning sunlight can sometimes take your breath away. On a morning with clear, crisp air,
even the cold feels pleasant, and the day starts off on a bright, cheerful note, doesn't it? We expressed the way gold and white light gradually pierces through navy darkness, illuminating everything around it.

Worn simply with a white shirt or white knit, the colors really pop, and even paired with a turtleneck or
a wine-bottle-neck top, it never leaves the neckline looking bare—instead lending a calm, understated glamour.

We're pleased to offer an early release at ZUTTO of FALBE's new series, the [Diane Series].
We're introducing four colors each of necklaces and earrings, with a chic look and feel perfectly suited to autumn and winter.

The series name "Diane" comes from the name of its designer, a beads artist based in America
named Diane Fitzgerald.
With roughly 25 years of experience as an artist, she specializes in a beadwork technique using thread and needle
to shape pieces by hand, known as "Off-Loom" beadwork.

Diane has used MIYUKI beads to create her works for over 20 years, and it was through that connection that she
was asked to design this new series.

The 【Diane Necklace】 features a design combining half tila beads and twisted beads.
Its V-shaped spread stylishly frames the neckline of a shirt, and worn with a turtleneck, it really makes its presence known.
Because the V comes just below the collarbone, it draws the eye upward, allowing even petite people to wear it with good balance.

Half tila beads have a flat shape with two holes—an unprecedented form—and this necklace is designed to make the most of
that unique characteristic. The interplay between the horizontally arranged half tila beads and the vertically placed twisted beads
creates an interesting combination, in the geometric pattern style Diane specializes in.

The 【Diane Earrings】, meant to be worn as a set with the necklace, combine half tila beads with round beads.
Because half tila beads have many facets that catch the light, they shimmer beautifully whenever they sway near your ear.
The diamond-shaped design leaves a memorable impression of your profile when worn. They're so lightweight, you might
forget you're even wearing them.

Beads have ancient origins. The first accessories humankind is said to have made to adorn themselves were shells and precious stones pierced with holes 100,000 years ago,
strung together as beads.
Beads also served as tools for ancient peoples offering prayers to the great forces of nature, and the origin of the word 'beads'
There is a theory that it comes from the Anglo-Saxon words 'biddan' (to pray) and 'bede' (one who prays).
As a sacred tool for prayer, beads have been used in various religions, and unique designs and techniques have
developed in each region.

Beads are produced all over the world, including in the Czech Republic, India, and China, but among these, Japanese beads are top quality.
The reason is that Japanese-made beads are uniform and well-shaped, bead by bead, so when made into a product they line up beautifully.
In particular, MIYUKI's Delica beads have a uniform cylindrical shape that leaves no gaps between adjacent beads when woven,
and looking at the finished product, the word "beautiful" is the only way to describe it.

MIYUKI's Delica bead weaving. The uniform beads catch the light evenly and shine.

However, continuously making uniform beads with consistent grain is no ordinary feat of skill.
Even when manufactured with the same materials and the same process, the beads never turn out exactly the same; even a slight change in the mixture,
or a slight change in the kiln conditions, can apparently result in a completely different product.

What brings beads ever closer to a perfect state is the skill of experienced craftspeople; at MIYUKI, each person hones their skill in their own process over many years, even decades,
becoming a master of that particular stage, and in this way they face the challenge of difficult bead-making.
MIYUKI currently produces some 15,000 varieties of beads, differing in shape, size, color, and finish, and
indispensable specialists protect this quality while striving for further improvement.

MIYUKI's beads. Even beads of the same color tone take on entirely different expressions depending on their shape and finish.

While preserving traditional techniques, MIYUKI is constantly exploring new forms of bead artistry.
With the desire to "create new surprises with beads that have never existed before," MIYUKI gathers ideas from all its employees,
and at times listens closely to customer feedback as it continues its research and development.
Some products took as long as ten years to successfully develop. The TILA bead is flat and square-shaped, with two holes.
It overturned the conventional idea that "beads are round with a single hole," surprising beaders around the world.

This attitude of seeking new techniques and new beads, staying at the forefront of the bead industry,
stems from the philosophy of "Beading Happiness — weaving happiness throughout the world and connecting circles of happiness through beads and beadwork."
Beyond developing and manufacturing high-quality, one-of-a-kind original beads, MIYUKI hopes to propose "the very way of enjoying beads"
and to be a source that spreads happiness through beads.

Bunch Necklace, Special Order Color