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Creating beauty with worldwide beads  by Donna Bailey Public Relations Brilliant green Chinese turquoise, rich amber from Russia, and some ancient Berber tribal pieces from Morocco. These are some beads that Carol Savage, Ph.D., assistant dean for student academic programs, College of Medicine, has found in her travels and uses to create her own particular style of jewelry. Savage has always loved beads. On a trip to Africa, she crossed paths with a woman who owned a bead store. Together, they created a travel group called the “sisters of the silk road” and have begun traveling the ancient trade route of Marco Polo in search of unique beads.  Their first journey together took them to Russia, and has continued to exotic places such as Turkey, Egypt and Prague, Czech Republic, wherever there is a large market for beads. Savage’s art includes an assortment of jewelry such as earrings and brooches. But her specialities are big, chunky ethnic necklaces. “I’ve been interested in beads and interested in jewelry and adornment for a long time,” she said. “I love to travel and see the world. I enjoy the beauty and value of beads and putting them together in this kind of way.”  Bead trade shows bring together an assortment of people. “Some bead collectors are historians.  Their interest is how these beads traveled from China, through the Mideast, through India, North America, and then to Africa, for hundreds and even thousands of years,” Savage said. “There are the collectors who want beads of every type. There are the people who just want to adorn themselves who buy beads.” None of the jewelry created by Savage is alike. She uses semiprecious stones, crystals, amethyst, coral, and natural minerals.  She personalizes her brooches with foreign coins or watch parts. “I’m not one to sit and measure beads out to make things perfectly matched. That is not my style,” Savage said. “I prefer beads that are totally unmatched with different beads of all types.”  “Lots of times, I’ll practice and wear it around a few days to see if it looks and feels right,” she said. “Than I take it apart and do it the way I want to do it.”  Next year, Savage plans to combine the things she loves most-traveling and looking for beads. Some of her plans include a visit to Kathmandu to seek ancient Tibetan beads and Cambodia for beads from the Hill Tribe of the Golden Triangle.  “It’s just something I want to do, a millennium voyage.”