ABSTRACT
In our bead explorations so far, we have frequently been guided by a search for symmetry. When we constructed seven-color torus maps on bracelets, we wanted all of the countries to be the same shape. When we made bracelets with geometric cross sections, we were particularly interested in cross sections that were regular polygons. When we tiled our bracelets with Escher designs, we sometimes used symmetry as a tool to create pleasing tessellations. In all of these endeavors, we have danced around a central question, one of great significance to mathematics, the sciences, and the arts: what is symmetry?
