Handmade HeritageFour generations. One bead at a time.
Authentic Huichol beadwork, handmade in Mexico
A chance meeting in Mexico
Handmade Heritage began on a trip to Mexico, where I met [Artisan names], a couple whose family has practiced traditional Huichol beadwork for four generations. Watching them set thousands of tiny glass beads by hand, one at a time, I knew this was something rare.
[Bobby: add a few sentences in your own words: where you met, what you saw, why you wanted to share their work.]
Handmade Heritage brings their work to homes in the U.S. and makes sure everyone who owns a piece knows exactly what went into it. We're based in Indianapolis, Indiana.
What is Huichol beadwork?
The Huichol, who call themselves Wixárika, are an Indigenous people of the Sierra Madre Occidental in western Mexico, mainly in Jalisco and Nayarit. They are known worldwide for vivid yarn paintings and beadwork. In their art, animals such as the deer and the jaguar, along with flowers, corn and the sun, carry deep meaning. We share this work with respect for the culture it comes from.
From carved form to finished piece
1. Shape the form
The base figure, such as a jaguar, a dog or a skull, is carved or shaped, then coated in warm beeswax and resin.
2. Bead by bead
With a fine needle, the artisan presses tiny glass seed beads into the wax one at a time, working the patterns freehand. No stencils, no molds, no machines.
3. 8 to 48+ hours
A small figure takes about a full day. Large, detailed pieces take days. That is why no two are ever the same.
[Photos of pieces in progress go here once Bobby sends them]
Own a piece of this heritage
Browse the collection or commission something made just for you.
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