Viva Beads was
founded by two mothers who set out to make a better life for
themselves and their families. Jill Manzara, a single mother of two,
and Lori Mottlowitz, a mother of four girls, discovered an existing artisan technique and envisioned endless possibilities for design and creativity. That technique is called "canning", and it is applied to polymer clay. Similar to the layering techniques of Venetian glass, layering polymer
clay presented an extraordinary opportunity to creatively design products, beginning with the original line of Viva Beads handmade clay beaded jewelry. The word "Viva" means a salute to life, and thus has been the anchoring energy behind the brand name.
