A Full Spectrum of Crystal Beads

Upcoming Shows for 2008

Prisms and the rainbows that they cast have fascinated Laura Shea since early childhood. Laura began buying and collecting Swarovski chandelier prisms in the 1980's. Inspired by seeing a few crystal beads strung on the hanger for a prism, Laura found herself trekking to a bead store 90 minutes from her home. There she found a smattering of crystal beads and a flyer for the Bead Society of Greater Chicago's first annual Bead and Book Sale. At the bead show she signed up for her first bead class, joined BSGC and she was hooked on beads, beading and crystal beads in particular. A few years later, she decided to start a small bead business selling crystal beads. Laura created A Dancing Rainbow because she could rarely find an adequate selection of crystal colors, sizes, or shapes at local bead stores. In 2003 her business, A Dancing Rainbow, moved from Evanston, Illinois to Parker, Colorado.

In 1998, Laura discovered a new passion for the pattern language of geometry. She began experimenting by applying geometric principles to beadwork. She loves creating beaded beads and beadwork based on the patterns provided by polyhedrons and geometric tilings. Although she has been teaching many different forms of beadwork since 1995 to adults and children, Laura began concentrating on teaching her geometrically inspired beadwork in 1999. She has taught at the Bead and Button Show yearly beginning in 2000 as well as for the Bead Society of Greater Chicago and at a number of bead stores in the Midwest. Laura is currently working on a book about geometrically inspired beadwork.

Books and Articles where Laura is featured.