My initial interest in beads started almost accidentally some 10 years ago, while traveling through Indonesia looking for tribal art. I bought some attractive glass beads, which turned out to be more than 1,000 years old, dating back to the Indonesian Majaphit dynasty.

It added another dimension to my lifestyle as a collector -- that of searching out and collecting rare and unique beads. East Java's glass industry today is among the largest and fastest growing in the world. It began expanding decades ago by first replicating ancient Majaphit beads and later by creating unusual and colorful beads from recycled glass.

Our catalog illustrates these beautiful beads -- originally sold to Japanese and Middle Eastern markets -- which I am now importing directly to New York.

For example a necklace made of frosted natural blues, greens and browns resembles strands of sea glass. The delicate lampwork beads also are a favorite in the store, where our customers usually leave wearing several.