Debi Keir-Nicholson

Debi's studio and shop, Beads of Colour, is located in Dundas and occupies the historic Mercantile building directly across from the Dundas Town Hall. Designing and creating jewellery using beads she has collected from around the globe, Debi also uses her own, hand-crafted beads.

Debi's interest in beads comes from her study of colour and the use of the beads that have adorned humankind over the centuries. Beads are one of the oldest art forms and feature in human life in the form of adornment, commerce and worship from the earliest societies. In nearly every archaelogical dig, beads in one form or another are discovered. They blend culture, art and history in one portable, beautiful, long-lasting and wearable item.

Debi was born and raised in Northern Ontario and her love of nature shows in her use of natural elements, from humble wood and clay to rare semi-precious gemstones.

Debi's degree in design is put to good use in her original works, where she loves to play with colour and texture, always respecting the materials and providing a beautiful framework where they may shine.

Debi travels the world and always looks for the art in the bead, making her purchases as directly from the artist as possible. From exquisite Thai silver handcrafted by the Karen Hill Tribes, to Indonesian recycled glass and miniature artworks in Murano glass from Italy, she delights in sharing her finds with the eager beaders in the warm and welcoming beading community she has created at Beads of Colour.