We feature a beautiful and unique selection of hand-made Italian glass beads by Tim James and unique hand-crafted designer jewelry made by Bijou Arte Designs' talented in-house designer, Lily Morda, as well as artistic beading supplies, all meticulously curated by Lily, from travels in Italy, other parts of Europe and beyond!

Comprehensive One-on-One Creative Courses (Jewelry Design / Mixed Media) are also featured. All housed under one roof in Bijou Arte Designs' colorful and artistic showroom/studio space. Located in a lustrous green valley, our studio sits directly below the Apuani mountain range, near the northern coast of Tuscany, Italy, in the lovely Lucca Province. So, whether you come for a day or stay for a life-time, you will never be sorry that you did!

To All Who Read This: Thank you for finding this website! Welcome!

A Note From Lily: In the beginning of 2023, my beloved husband, best friend and collaborative partner, Bijou Arte Designs' resident glass bead artist and the creator of this website, Tim James, passed away from complications caused by throat cancer. Thankfully, he left a large body of work behind for us to enjoy, as well as his wonderful video tutorial series on youtube, which can be found at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/@fromthebeadmaker

As I write this, it's near the end of 2024 now,  and while I am still grieving deeply,  I am currently re-imagining the next chapter for Bijou Arte Designs, as well as that of  of my own life without my partner of 25 years.  With the help of my daughter Leah, we are moving our beady adventure further into the directions that Tim and I had discussed and planned prior to his illness and eventual passing. A greater emphasis on workshops and creativity. An expanding focus on innovative and beautiful Italian bead-related products, maybe some more video tutorials, etc. Those were some of the things that Tim and I had planned on doing, and I will slowly move towards fulfilling those goals in his memory.

Having a focus and a creative outlet is so important in times like these. Thank you all for your support and good wishes throughout the years, and especially, during this transitional time in my life. I will continue to process you inquiries and orders in a timely fashion, as I've always tried to do.  And, I will always remain on the lookout for new and wonderful designs and products to add to this website.

If you find yourself in Tuscany, please do plan a trip to the Bijou Arte Designs Studio to browse, take a class or to just say hello. Your visits are always welcomed and appreciated.

Until then...Ci vediamo presto - See you soon!

- Lily Morda, Oct. 2024

 

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Meet The Bijou Arte Team: Tim and Lily 2021

Tim & Lily in their respective studios - Florence, Italy (2006-ish)

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Tim's fundraising video