The bead designers featured here are some of the most creative I have come across. Given a single theme, like the sun, they all come up with unique versions of their own. 

First up is the sun pendant tutorial shown above by the mother and daughter team, Cara and Landry of SimpleBeadPatterns. It's such a clever design because the off centre placement of the second metal frame also forms a crescent moon. 

Hungarian designer, Assza of AsszaBeadingArts, is a prolific beaded jewelry designer whose work I have featured many times before. Her sun pendant tutorial shows her design can work in many color groups. 


Beginner bead embroiderers can learn several different stitches from this spectacular sun brooch bead embroidery tutorial from British designer, SarahCryerBeadwork. 



Czech designer, Alena of AjaBeads has an unusual beaded sun design in which only half the flares are shown. Those flares make for pretty matching earrings!


British designer, Katie Dean of Beadflowers, is the grandmaster of beaded box designs! This one is her superduo based sun inspired bead box tutorial. 


536 AD : The Year the Sun Disappeared

Much as I like learning about history, I have no desire of living - if I could choose - any time before now. I would rather have the medical and scientific knowledge and technological advances we have today!  

If there was a period which marks the exact time where I am very grateful I wasn't around then, it surely has to be 536 AD. This was the year the sun disappeared.  This worldwide catastrophe was recorded in ancient texts from China, Italy, Indonesia and many other countries. Many now regard it as the worst year in history. 

There were actually two years of terrible famine, drought and disease caused by the effects of a large volcanic eruption. Massive amounts of volcanic particles were ejected into the atmosphere which greatly reduced solar radiation and dramatically cooled the Earth. Widespread crop failure ensued accompanied by the Plague of the Justinian, the first plague pandemic.  The sun's rays were so feeble, the Roman statesman, Cassiodorus wrote in 538AD, there was "prolonged frost and unseasonable drought" and that "the seasons were all jumbled up".

Millions of people perished and whole civilizations collapsed. The volcanic eruption of 536 AD laid the foundations of the world we live in today. 

Watch this video from the History Hit Network. This is a long one but fascinating all the same about the work of archaeologist David Keys whose interest on this catastrophe was triggered when he listened to a dendrochronologist (tree ring analyst) describe how oak trees didn't really grow in 536 AD. 


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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM