Jobs Tears Beads

Local designer Gunnar Deatherage fulfills 'Project Runway' dream

His Deatherage Designs line includes one-of-a-kind, edgy, high-fashion dresses; vintage-inspired swimsuits; and tops, skirts and evening gowns. He is known in the area for the gown he created for cancer survivor Sherry Trenaman Howell, the 2011 Julep Ball Survivor Ambassador, to wear to the Julep Ball gala the night before this year's Kentucky Derby. I wanted to do something creative for sure. I grew up in a military background. My dad was in the military. I decided to take a more creative route, and I joined the show choir at my high school (Southwestern Middle/Senior High School in Hanover, Ind.). Our show choir would order these beautiful, elaborate dresses with thousands of beads and sequins on them from New York and L.A. I got to looking at the construction on them, and it just intrigued me to see that somehow I understood the way that they had made these dresses. One of my favorites was Daniel Vosovic (season two finalist and winner of the “Project Runway All-Star Challenge”). I think it's because he does a very classic style with his own twist on it, and I really enjoy that. I don't think my designs look most like his. … I do think my designs kind of resemble Christian Siriano (season four winner). We do have a very similar style.

Growing Job's Tears – Next Year's Crop of Beads Goes Into the Ground!

Job’s Tears are the tear-shaped seeds of a grain plant, much like a small, skinny corn, or a really robust rye. They are a lovely, variegated dove gray and grow with a natural hole through the middle and a naturally shiny coating, completely ready, as harvested, to use as a bead! They don’t require very fertile soil and are drought tolerant which makes them very easy to grow. A great addition to any homestead er’s or crafter’s garden. I’ve grown them for 2 years to use in my handcrafted jewelry and couldn’t find any information on their culture other than what the seed packet said, which wasn’t much. Here’s a detailed, step by step description of how to grow your own Job’s Tears seeds, from seed to bead.

The Seed Saver’s Exchange description of Job’s Tears:

(Coix lacryma-jobi) Used for beads since at least 2,000 B.C. Once an important source of food, most likely originating in India. When the polished grain-like seeds are mature, there is a perfect hole through the middle, literally nature’s perfect bead. Used for making rosaries and for musical African shaker gourds. Prolific grain-like plants. Annual, 30-36″ tall.

Let’s Get Growing!

1. Choose a site that receives full sun and is well-drained and not too fertile. (I planted them in a little strip right next to my driveway.) Jobs tears are very drought tolerant, and don’t need rich ground or fertilizer. Even during our scorching Wisconsin summers, I only needed to water these plants a few times once they were established.

2. Plant seeds outdoors in the spring, at about the same time as corn is planted, one week or so after the last frost date in your area.

3. Make a furrow and sow seeds 1/2 an inch to 1 inch deep and about 2 inches apart. You want the seeds to be covered with about 2-3 times their own width of soil. Patting down the soil with your hand or a light tap of the foot will increase chances of good germination. I like to make sure that the little row they’re planted in is depressed a little from the surrounding soil so that when watering, the water stays where the seeds are where it can do the most good.

4. Water seeds every other day or so until they germinate and sprout their first leaves.

5. Once plants are established be sure to keep them weeded. You can wait until the plants ask for water until giving it to them. You’ll notice that the corn-like leaves will stand up straight and start to get spiky and dry-looking at their tips. This is a sign that you should give the plants a deep watering.

Treasury decisions under customs and other laws

Curtains ofJob's-tear seeds. Curtains of Job's-tear seeds dutiable at the rate of 50 per cent ad valorem, by similitude to curtains of beads under ...

Microsoft Encarta college dictionary

Coix lacryma-jobi. m npl the hard white seeds of Job's tears, used as beads, and as a cereal in East Asia E< its round shiny leaves] JOCK1 /jok/ ...

American Indian art magazine

But he also noted that many of the women and men wore "strings of glass beads . . . and necklaces made from the seed of the Coix Lacryma-Jobi [Jobs-tears]," ...

Webster's two new college dictionary

A grass, Coix lacryma-iobi of tropical Asia, with white beadlike seeds. 2. The edible seeds of the Job's-tears, often used as beads. ii'li stick n. ...

The American Indian

3 Necklace of Jobs-tear beads, with wooden cross, from Carichi. 4 Fringed leather pouch 5 Large gourd vessel, from Guaiochi. 6 Gourd dipper, from Aboreachi. ...