About

Beautiful beads from around the world brought to Canada.

In the spring of 2004, we opened our doors in the small town of Orangeville, Ontario, approximately 1-hour drive north of Toronto. From there we have been gathering, stocking and purveying wonderful beads from all over the world including Swarovski Crystals. Beads from Japan, Austria, the Czech Republic, China, Bali and many more countries around the world.

In 2017, I opened up my online store for The Manhattan Bead Company.

January 1, 2020, I decided to close our brick and mortar store and concentrate my business on online only, revamping my online store to make it more user friendly.

About the Owner

Anita Okada first became interested in beads in 2000 when she met a lampworker at an art show in Toronto. Since then, she has been collecting beads and making jewelry. Eventually, in 2003, she decided to make her own glass beads and set up a studio in her home. Since then, Anita has been selling her beads throughout Canada.

A OK Beads - Handmade Glass Lampwork Beads

A OK Beads has juried in and exhibited at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibit, and the CACY show in Caledon East.

Handmade glass lampwork beads are made by melting either soda lime or borosilicate glass onto stainless steel mandrels. Once the glass has been melted, the glass can be manipulated into various shapes and designs using tools, layers of glass, and various techniques such as dots, stringers, stripes, foils, and so on. There are many unique ways to make lampwork beads and each lampworker has their own techniques and style. Once the lampworker is satisfied with their bead, the bead is placed in a kiln to be annealed to prevent breaking and cracks.