When I started making jewelry, I often chose beads from my stash of broken vintage glass Mardi Gras beads. I didn’t fully recognize the value and legacy these “throws” – trinkets thrown to the crowds from floats during Mardi Gras parades. These throws are a part of my history, my culture, and my legacy. That part – legacy.
This is my last intact strand of vintage glass Mardi Gras beads.
One of my great-aunts or great-uncles caught them for me and doubled or tripled them before placing them around my 5-year-old neck. The strand is about because they were so long. I can’t remember which parade it was that passed by my maternal grandmother’s house, but I do remember losing track of the parade as I marveled at how beautiful and different each bead was.
Now I want to find out who made the beads, who strung and linked the necklaces, and who else kept a few of these extraordinary treasures over the years.
Loose vintage glass Mardi Gras beads from my remaining stash