Just Bead It

Ibu Yekti at work

Beautiful Beads

It seems everyone knows about Ibu Yekti and her wonderful collection of beads.  Quietly nestled off  a bustling South Jakarta road in a beautiful joglo style house is a  prodigious and beautiful collection of recycled glass beads.  Upon entering Yekti’s house, one thing becomes clear: she has a remarkable passion for beads.  Yekti’s enthusiasm started some 40 years ago with a simple stroll through Jakarta’s famous antiques market on Jl. Surabaya , where she encountered vendors offering up rare and aesthetically engaging trade beads.  Learning that these beads came from her home town in East Java sparked a personal connection and instant interest in learning more about the history and production process of the beads.  Yekti explains, “before realizing it, I had entered the world of beads; designing and stringing them, and I embarked on something even more fascinating; learning about their history and traditions.  When the antique beads became more and more difficult to find, and thus more and more expensive, I stretched further to try and find out how to copy these beads. With the combined skill of the bead makers in East Java and Surakarta we started producing them.”

Indeed, Yekti’s house now houses thousands of beads, each produced from recycled glass.  What was once a perfume bottle, wine bottle, shard from a glass factory or perhaps a light bulb is now a colorful and durable bead (believe me, Yetki threw one on the floor and it bounced like a ball, due to its inherent density).  In Yekti’s home, and with her guidance, you can create virtually any beaded adornment that your heart desires–and for a very reasonable price too.

Make an appointment if you have the time….After all, Mother’s Day is just around the corner :)

Ibu Yekti:  0811-101-789