Monday, July 27, 2026

An Altadena Artist Who Makes Jewelry Out of Chemotherapy Pills Returns to the Bead and Design Show

[photo credit: Susan S. Braig]

More than 300 exhibitors fill the Pasadena Convention Center for three days beginning Friday; one ticket covers all of them.

Susan Braig looked at a drugstore receipt in 2004 and did the arithmetic that has organized her work ever since.

Her first round of post-diagnosis medication cost roughly $500 out of pocket. She looked at the pills, then at the receipt, and wondered whether they were precious gems.

In 2007, invited into a medical-themed exhibition mounted by the NewTown Pasadena Foundation, the Altadena artist built a tiara encrusted with her leftover cancer medication. The public’s response launched Designer Drug Jewelry, a line of statement pieces studded with repurposed pills sealed in resin. Braig has described the work as both an income source for her medical bills and a visual argument in her health care activism — her formulation is that health care remains a luxury item for millions of Americans.

Braig returns to the Pasadena Bead and Design Show this weekend with a new collection. The show runs Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center, occupying 30,000 square feet with more than 300 juried exhibits and workshops.

The rest of the floor spans hand-cut gemstones, lampwork glass beads, pearls, hill tribe silver, hand-dyed silks, eco-dyed and upcycled clothing, felted hats, tooled leather and specialty tools. Workshops and demonstrations run daily at all skill levels. Held in Pasadena since 2008 and staged twice a year, the show draws studio artists and suppliers from across the country.

Admission is $10 at the door or $8 purchased in advance online, valid all three days. Youth 17 and under enter free.

The Pasadena Bead and Design Show runs Friday, July 31 through Sunday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 E. Green St. in Pasadena.

Visit beadanddesign.com for tickets and workshop registration. Braig’s work is also available through her Etsy store and at designerdrugjewelry.com. Admission is $10 at the door, $8 online, valid all three days. Free for ages 17 and under. On-site parking is $15; nearby Paseo-Marengo garage parking is $12.