The Wild Hare Beadery

So, as I was saying yesterday, while the Short One and I were visiting family in Oklahoma, I had the chance to do a little shopping. Now I love a good name and nice beads and this store has both. Don't you love "The Wild Hare Beadery"? I wish I'd asked the owner the origin of that particular name. This above image - which I also love - can be found on the reverse of the store's business card.

There has been a bead store in the same physical location on Campus Corner near the University of Oklahoma for a number of years, but it's changed hand several times. The new iteration is the Wild Hare, which opened last August. I was pleasantly surprised by the selection of unusual strands there and ended up coming home with several lovely ones (which I received as a gift from my father). These are my favorites:



Dainty cut and tumbled turquoise from Afghanistan. Similar to the type of Roman glass beads that are so popular nowadays (and that I love), these beads were re-cut from other ancient objects. They were tumbled and have a beautiful matte finish that just begs to be touched. The store has a nice selection of turquoise, generally, from Chinese turquoise to a few really lovely strands of Royston turquoise that I was hard pressed to pass up (but ultimately did in favor of the above). (I also found dyed magnesite in this section, properly labeled, and at an affordable price.)

Here's my other favorite strand from the store:


It was hard for me to capture the lustre of the shell in these photos (see the close-up, below), but there are actually green abalone shell - glued back together and drilled.



I love their smooth, organic shape - kind of like a seed pod, but with that nice green lustre, and, of course, light as a feather for the size of the bead.

The store also had a second whole room devoted to glass and some estate pieces, but I had to close my eyes at this point, since I had already determined to take the turquoise.

I understand from the owner that they do not advertise. I very much enjoyed browsing around there and feel that I came home with some unusual treasure. So, if you find yourself in the area and feel the need to bead, be sure to stop by The Wild Hare. It's located at 319 White Street in Norman, Oklahoma. 405-447-5929.

Thanks for visiting!