By Native Americans to the present days.
The peyote weaving beads technique (also known as Peyote Point) traces its origins from the ancient American Indians who used to produce bags, bracelets, necklaces, various jewelry, cover pipes and other ornaments for traditional ceremonies.
Among these ceremonies there even was one that involved the use of the most famous "peyote", a powerful hallucinogenic substance, probably taken from those who have invented this technique, given the beauty and complexity of accomplished designs.
Weaving peyote is now very popular in the US but also thanks to the Internet, the technique has spread to other countries, including in particular Germany, France and Hungary. For some time the peyote is becoming fashionable in Italy.
This artisan technique involves hand weaving of beads, with the only use of long and flexible needles and of a very thin but resistant wire, without help of the frame or of other machinery. The peyote does not need knots, but the thread passes several times in the same spots, creating a plot and a resistant texture.
The beads are arranged in a "staggered" way: after threading the first line, the successive rounds of beads are strung jumping a bead of the previous round, going to arrange themselves as "bricks". In short videos that I have prepared, I show you first how you arrange the beads, then the finishing with picots.
There are two types of knitting to peyote: a number of beads odd or even. The mesh with an even number is more simple than that in odd number, then it indicated for those approaching for the first few times to this technique.
The perfect texture is achieved by using the beads from Japan (are famous the Toho beads and Miyuki Delica): they are all exactly the same, in the form of cylindrical tubes, with very regular diameter and shape and, despite its small size, they have the center hole wide enough to allow the passage of the needle multiple times within the beads. There are different sizes and different colors.
The weaving of beads and other materials with the peyote technique gives the possibility to realize infinite combinations with other techniques, such as the embedding of cabochon, semiprecious stones and objects of varying nature and form. Very valuable works, and if the technique is used with precision and patience, can produce more original and much appreciated jewels of rare beauty. Below are examples of creations of various craftsmen:
I have recently realized some creations with peyote technique, creating the setting of cabochon for Clarissa Necklaces or bracelets woven with "drop beads" and finished with small picots. Here are some examples. Click on the photos of necklaces and see all details: