Balamuty Restring Project

Thank you to Natalka C. of Winnipeg for the opportunity to restring several small balamuty necklaces in a one-of-a-kind statement piece. Natalka hoped for an appropriate clasp to go along with her priceless balamuty and I had just the perfect ‘chepraha’ for the job.

I’ve been seeing more and more strings of balamuty for sale on social media and occasionally saw them adorning Ukrainian folk costumes. So, I welcomed the chance to work with these precious beads. But what are balamuty?

Balamuty defined

Roksolyana Shymchuk, the owner of Etno-Galleria and Museum in Lviv posted all about balamuty on her Facebookpage.

Balamuty are fossilized mother of pearl. (Ukrainian women were looking for an equivalent in their language to the German "mother of pearl - perla mutter" and chose the similar sounding "balamuty"). Veins of fossilized mother of pearl occur in a dense coquina, which is used as a building material in the Transdnistrian part of Ukraine (Vinnytsia region), the left bank of the Dniester, and in Moldova, on the right bank.

Coquina is a sedimentary rock that is composed either wholly or almost entirely of the transported, abraded, and mechanically-sorted fragments of the shells of mollusks, trilobites, brachiopods, or other invertebrates. It was formed in the warm sea around the coral reefs and atolls that lay in this region 25 million years ago.

Modern nacre/mother of pearl is much lighter. Balamuty are mineralized rock of sedimentary origin, and are heavier. For this reason, balamuty should be worn carefully, because the beads have the capability of splitting when struck.

Cheprahy defined

Mykola Hrabovetsky, wrote about cheprahy (singular-chepraha) in his illustrated Ukrainian article, “Hutsul zgards (zgardy) — unique spiritual symbols of the Carpathians”. 

Cheprahy were clasps used to connect the zgards (brass handcrafted cross-formed amulets) into necklaces. Cheprahy were two, mostly round, plates decorated with embossed or openwork ornaments. At first glance, the disproportion between the sizes of the cheprahy and the zgardy is striking. Cheprahy, as a rule, have large sizes, completely unjustified by their utilitarian function. Some of them reach 6-7 cm. in diameter, which indicates their special place among neck ornaments. 

Chepraha is a solar symbol designed to protect a person from evil spirits. In the central part of the chepraha decor, various variants of solar symbolism are placed: a wheel with eight, six or four spokes, concentric circles, etc.

I happened to have a reproduction of a six-spoked chepraha on hand. In 2012 I purchased it from Vsevolod Bazhaluk, a jeweller who cast reproductions of vintage Hutsul zgardy in Ivano-Frankivsk. He first reproduced them as a fundraiser for ATO defenders fighting in the early Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine. My chepraha has a single loop on the underside like clasps found on zgardy in museums.

Its large size seemed to be the right clasp for a multi-strand balamuty necklace. You’ll see from my photo story how I was able to make it work. Most of my photos show the underside of the clasp and my problem-solving.

The task at hand

To create a multi-strand necklace meant cutting apart several short necklaces Natalka collected over a period of time.

A multi-strand Design Board was essential. Once cut, the balamuty beads needed to be graded with a gauge and by eye. I cut apart four necklaces and removed the reddish discs between the balamuty in one of them. 

The design board allowed for easily switching beads from one side to the other for balance. Smaller rougher-shaped beads were divided into six groupings between the backs of three strands. 

My necklace was designed to showcase the larger balamut bead in front with a gentle decrease in bead size for a comfortable fit around the back of the neck.

I used a gold color nylon coated 19-strand .018 Diameter beading wire for this project. When working with wire, it was essential to have spring clamps to stop beads from escaping. As a standard practice, it was best to cut the wire longer for easy looping around the clasp and weaving the tail in further inside. 

Adding the Chepraha clasp

It was essential to use crimps with beading wire. I used gold metal crimp tubes which are soft and easily flatten to grip the wire once crimped tightly.

When adding the clasp, I used a longer wire and strung one crimp next to the clasp and placed another crimp tube further into the string of beads. Once I pulled the wire was through the clasp loop, I threaded it back through the first crimp and further into several beads. Then I pull the wire to tighten the wire around the clasp. 

Using crimping pliers, I flattened the two tubes to grip the beading wire securely. (The pliers are designed to fold over the flattened crimp, but I do not have the skill for this step.) Once crimped, I proceeded to push the remaining wire tail inside the bead string for security. Finally, I clipped the excess wire closely between beads to prevent scratching.

Once one side was secure, I strung the beads laid out on the design board. To easily transfer beads from an old necklace onto the wire, I created a bridge to slide them over, as shown.

FIRST string

Once I strung the FIRST balamuty string near the neck, I needed to repeat the clasp securing process in reverse. Inching my way towards the clasp, I had to add a crimp tube before the final bead, then add another crimp tube next to the clasp loop. 

To secure the clasp, I went through the closure loop and back through the crimp tube, bead, crimp and down a few more beads.

I pulled the wire taut and proceeded to flatten the tubes with crimping pliers.

Finally, I pushed the extra wire down a few more beads and cut away the excess.

Now, the wear test! How does the first string sit, look? My husband took this photo so I could illustrate the importance of fit-testing. I sent this photo to my client to get approval. Natalka confirmed this length was perfect!

FYI: If she would have wanted a longer balamuty necklace, I would have had to cut apart the fifth necklace and distribute the beads into three strings.

 

SECOND string

Securing the SECOND string to the clasp was done in exactly same way as the first.

I started with a longer wire, strung the beads and crimp tubes as described earlier. The important thing was its placement of the underside loop. I then threaded the wire back through the crimps and beads. It was vital to make sure the FIRST string was on the side near the clasp closure hooks.

I pulled the wire to tightened it into position in the center of the clasp loop. Once taut, I flattened the crimps to secure the start of the SECOND string. 

Next I proceeded to string the balamuty as I had laid them out. Securing the other side of clasp exactly as I had done the FIRST string. Only exception was to make sure the wire with crimps sit in the center position on the underside chepraha loop.

Here I am testing the chepraha closure and how the two stings of balamuty look when worn.

THIRD string

Securing the THIRD string to the clasp was done in exactly same way as the first two strings. The main thing was to position the loosened wire with beads and crimps in the outside position on the underside chepraha clasp, as shown. 

Once positioned, I pulled tightly and crimped firmly to secure one side. Then I strung the balamuty as laid out on my design board. 

I had to be careful in securing the other end to the outside position on the underside chepraha loop, as shown.

Next was the test to see how the balamuty laid and hung when worn. Here I am in front my favourite painting, “Gerdany-makers” by Christina Yarmol. 

I see a larger gap between the first and other strings. Perhaps the single larger beads in the two lower strings are pulling down more than the even-sized round balamuty in the first string.

DROPPING DOWN FIRST STRING

In order to minimize the gap, I carefully opened the flattened crimps with pliers to release the wire from the clasp. I needed to cut a new longer wire so I can redo the FIRST string. For this I would need to add a few extra beads on each side. 

I looked through my stash of beads for clear or pearl-colored pony beads to add behind the clasp so that the balamuty can drop down below the chepraha edge.

See the photo for the beads I used to extend the FIRST string. Compare it with the original SECOND and THIRD strings.

I secured the extended FIRST string on the other side on the inside of the clasp near the closure.

FINAL TEST

I tried the balamuty necklace on again. My husband photographed the chepraha closure from the back. It really is attractive and fitting for a multi-strand balamuty necklace.

Here I am modelling the new improved balamuty necklace against my inherited Hutsul ceramic and incrusted wood collection. This is very fitting for a necklace with a chepraha from the Carpathians.

Looking forward to getting together with Natalka to hand over her balamuty necklace to wear as a protective amulet for many years.

Honeycomb - Toronto Bead Society 2025 Bag of Beads Challenge

This year’s Bag of Beads looked beautiful in the bag — warm honey with a touch of turquoise blue. It even came with real amber chips! And some sort of button earring stumpers with smashed down posts, clips, and a load of tiny headpins.

Contents of the Bag of Beads

The Toronto Bead Society (TBS) Bag of Beads challenge is to use at least one from each of the bags in the kit we were given. We could add any other needed supplies from our own stash.

What to do?? No muses for the longest time. The recurring theme that kept coming was “honeycomb”.

Inspiration

The next challenge was how do I create a honeycomb that would hold its hexagonal cell? The logical answer was bead embroidery. But the next decision was, “Will it be another work of art in a shadow box like the last three challenges (Nautilus, Mid-Century Modern Living, Secret Garden)?”, OR “Can I make this challenge be wearable?

 “JUST DO IT!” 

I cut a piece of blue Stiff Felt left over from a previous challenge. Then I tried a few different ways to stitch a honeycomb cell. The most effective way was to draw a 1cm. cell with a pencil, then stitch a light-coloured rough-cut satin beads individually, but then add another on each line. By stitching a metallic gold 13/o seed bead in the corner, a cell shape was created. 

Since I was creating on the fly, I kept drawing a few more hexagonal cells on the blue foundation, then stitching down satin beads with seed beads defining the corners. With time, five rows of cells felt right for the height of a medallion and five and a half cells were best for the width.

Next, the cells needed to be filled in with honey. I tried stitching down the opaque and metallic sienna seed beads in a cell, but it was very sad. Then I strung segments of 1 op. sienna seed, 1 met. sienna seed, 1- 4mm round amber pressed-bead, followed by 1 met. and 1 op. sienna. 

Each segment was secured in between satin beads on one side and pulled across the cell, then secured on other side between satin beads. 

Once five segment strings were secured across all cells, I framed them with a string of alternating single turquoise opaque 8/o seed beads and #2 Czech s/l bugles. The turquoise frame needed to be couched down. So, I trimmed the Stiff Felt foundation fairly close to the honeycomb.

Then stitched down the bugle frame between beads.

STRINGS AND STUMPERS

Next I had to deal with the stumpers. I stitched on the clips to the underside of the metallic button earrings

Then glued them down with E6000.

Since this was going to be a wearable piece, I strung a fine beading wire with alternating turquoise 8/o beads and amber 4mm round beads. Luckily, there were just enough round beads in the Bag! 

To secure the string to the buttons, I added a crimp, wiggled the wire through the underside openings of metallic button, wove the tail back through the crimp and pressed it firmly to stop the strung bead wire from slipping.

ADDING THE BACKING 

Once the string assembly was complete, I stitched down the clips to the back of the bead foundation. The metallic button was left exposed because it was a design element transitioning from the Honeycomb medallion to the fancy bead string.

Luckily, I had a piece of faux leatherette in my stash. I trimmed it to the medallion's size and basted it through all the layers so I could bead a clean finish. A traditional 3-bead finish would not work because of the turquoise bugle/seed frame! Don’t know if anyone ever did this before, but I figured out a way to catch the top and bottom through a sienna seed bead for a systematic stitch. Practical and neat. 

This is my creative solution dealing with the situation at hand. In the end, it looks like a bead sandwich layer between the Honeycomb and leatherette backing!

FRINGE FINISH

In another little bag were two novel beads which needed attention. Since the rule is, “use at least one from each bag”, I chose the round “world” bead instead of the chunky sienna tube bead.

To deal with this heavy bead, I tried suspending it from 8/ turquoise beads in the centre-front of my Honeycomb medallion. I figured surrounding fringes would soften the look.

I like playing with color and shapes in fringes. There were chiseled flat coppery beads (which I donated to the cause) in another bag. As well as a bag and short string of real amber chip beads. I felt there needed to be some zing between these interesting beads. In my stash I had a few turquoise chip slivers which worked really well in between the chiseled bead and amber. Of course, a turquoise seed bead at the bottom would not only holds beads on each fringe from falling, but add the ultimate zing.

The fringe is very organic. Each one varies in length and look because of natural material differences. This was not about perfection, but feel. 

The short headpin was a headache. I managed to thread a few beads on a headpin and attached it to the clip. See the highlighted pin on the photo. Challenge met, but not seen!

This Challenge was fun in the end because I let the beads and materials direct the creative process once I had the honeycomb theme and wanted it to be wearable. 

The Lelitky Collection

 After more than a half a century of adorning my Family Christmas Tree in Michigan, I finally got my treasured white satin ornaments returned to me in Toronto.

Even the white curly ribbon hanging bows were pretty much intact! The satin ornaments held up very well after 50 years decorating our family tree and three years of being smushed in a box. Apparently the shimmering decor bothered the cat, so the new tenants tossed all the ornaments into a box and banished them to basement.

Being a savvy designer now, I chose to call them my LELITKY COLLECTION. ‘Lelitky’ is a Ukrainian term for sequins, much nicer sounding than ‘payetky’. Since I created the sequins-studded satin ornaments in the 1970s, I put my maiden name on the hang tag. The snowflake is mine from my Fanwheel Snowflake Collection and is the perfect touch for an ornament collection!

Satin thread-wrapped balls first emerged in the 1960s to stand out on the aluminum trees which came into vogue then. At first satin threads were wound onto styrofoam balls, but later were also available on hollow plastic forms. The best way to secure the sequins to the ball was to use fine 1/2” straight pins, the kind which were used for putting up decorations on bulletin boards (my other afterschool activity). I bought myself a box of pins and have vivid memories of very sore fingers pushing pins into hard plastic just to get my embroidered designs right!

I bought a few boxes of white satin balls and was on the lookout for unusual shapes. I found a box of three bell-shaped ornaments and then two different sizes of squished saucer-like balls. 

For me, the satin balls provided a blank canvas for creating embroidered designs using sequins for each cross-stitch. I used charted Ukrainian embroidery books and plates for reference and had an artistic license for changing sequins colors for festive ornaments.

I would work on them in the evenings during my later high school, early college years. I enjoyed the creative process because each ornament was different. It was a perfect opportunity to adorn our family tree with contemporary Ukrainian-inspired ornaments.

There was no end to the creative possibilities until I ran out of satin balls.

I have fond memories of Christmases in Detroit. My embroidered satin ornaments were always on the family tree. Here’s a photo of the one and only Christmas my uncle and godfather from  Rome managed to join us for Sviat Vechir, the Christmas Eve meal. We dropped him off at the airport on Christmas Day.

Fr. Lubomyr Husar is home visiting our family, 1983

Here’s my mother Martha decorating her tree in her condo with granddaughters Katya and Lesia.

Decorating the tree with granddaughters, 1996 

After a while, my mother wisened up and bought a faux tree. She decorated it with my white sequins-embroidered ornaments and a few other favourites. For the next few years, the tree was carried fully dressed up and downstairs in time for Christmas. Though she passed away in 2001, the tradition continued for decades. Instantly decorated tree always set in the same corner for Christmas = tradition.

Classic group photo by the Christmas tree, 2017

In the last two decades, this is the tree I remember when I visited my Michigan home for the holidays.

But not any more…

I am glad my ornaments look great after fifty plus years. Now, I refurbished them by cutting off the curly white ribbon, added a fine gold cord and LELITKY hang tag for a new life. Even bought a special TIDY stacking case to keep the ornaments safe off-season.

I would like to donate them to the UkrainianAmerican Archives and Museum in Hamtramck, MI, because I created the Collection while a student in Detroit. 

I would love to see a Christmas tree in the museum decorated with The Lelitky Collection of embroidered ornaments by Maria Wasylkewycz. It would be an great example of an Ukrainian Christmas Tree in the 1970s.