Beads for Collectors and Designers - RitaOkrent.com

sting items, but on this extended 14-month trip she was able to explore and buy from dealers in the souks of Israel and Egypt, flea markets in London, Paris and Vienna and from sellers in Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and China. On each trip, she searched for ancient and antique beads and pendants, for small antiquities and for unusual collectibles. Upon returning to the U.S., Rita established her collection and designed necklaces using ancient and antique materials such as amazonite, amber, amethyst, coral, faience, glass, horn, ivory, jade, jet, shell and silver. She often combined these beads with a central pendant or several pendants, in designing ethnic, one-of-a-kind necklaces. She worked with a colleague to design her own hand-made, sterling silver hook-and-eye clasps, which we still make available in our Clasps section. She continued to develop her bead expertise and became an active member and President of the Los Angeles-area Bead Society. She held jewelry shows from her home showroom and at the Los Angeles Gift Show, as well as consigning items to local stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue. Rita’s work was featured in Ornament Magazine and she contributed to the book, “Collectible Beads” by Robert K. Rita traded with merchants from Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and other parts of Africa for more than twenty-five years, providing her with a broad collection of African Trade beads, as well as unusual African wall hangings and wood and ivory carvings and masks. Rita’s collection grew as she continued to travel and live abroad over the years, including trips to Syria, Egypt, Israel, and Morocco. Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, Rita’s reputation continued to grow as a designer of original necklaces and as a dealer of ethnic and antique beads and artifacts. Rita’s husband, David, maintained the website starting in 1999. The website and collection are now managed by their daughter, Jocelyne, based in San Diego County, California. The beauty of Rita’s original creations and of her rich and outstanding collection are reflected at our website, www.ritaokrent.com. Our customers, both collectors and designers, come to us from around the world. We appreciate your business. Please come shop at our Etsy store, RitaOkrentCollection and at our website, RitaOkrent.com.