I’ve been pulling pounds of ivory and black stringer for all those glass tiger beads I’ve been working on… and when I have a clump of such gorgeous contrast on the end of my pull rods, I can’t stand to waste it! So I make little hearts. I was struck by how elegant and plain they look and… well, I just could live with that! So I added frit – but ONLY to one side of the bead! So these glass beads have a split personality! One side is understated black and pale ivory, the other will have an explosion of color! Wear whichever side suits your mood!
Duo Split Personality Heart #2 is blue, green, rust and lavender on the reverse and measures 17 mm wide x 30 mm tall including glass bail. $15.00
What do you do when you have TONS of mille rod left over from an odd colored project (my recent blue feather focal bead experiments)? You make mini beads from the rod! Swirls of multi blues with white. Strand is 41 mm (1.6″) long. $18.00
I have just been mesmerized with Eye Beads lately. I wrote all about my obsession with them on my glass bead blog. You can read the entire article on eye beads here. But here’s the part I adore about Eye Beads:
“Eye beads are meant to offer protection. Think of the third eye in Indian culture. The eye bead for protection is also really popular in Greece, Armenia and in Egypt. I’ve always been fascinated with Egyptian eyes and looked at lots of Egyptian artwork to come up with the background colors for that bead above. I also researched Egyptian symbolism to figure out what to put on the back.
I found out that a squared off version of a swirl… an image prevalent in all human art since the caveman era … stands for home. What a better thing to offer protection over than home!”
So, the obsession continues… I’ve had several requests for blue backgrounds with gold accents – a common color in Egyptian art. But… blue and yellow don’t really play well in glass. There’s always a weird green halo that my own eye really dislikes.
Both beads were made free hand in a loose eye shape. I covered both with a variety of blue glasses, both opaque and transparent. Each was wrapped with goldstone and feathered. Then I built the eye with murrini from my friend and very talented glass artist, Janel Dudley.
About the First Bead: Traditional dark eyelid, the goldstone does not sparkle much on this one. There is an Egyptian symbol for “home” on the back in goldenrod stringer. 28 mm hole to hole x 24 mm wide. $55.00
About the 2nd Bead: I really like the goldstone in this bead…it really sparkles! It was the first one I’ve made with a lighter colored (ivory) eye lid and the first time I attempted to place “eyeliner” UNDER the lid. The back side is plain with only the goldstone feathering showing. 29 mm hole to hold x 23 mm wide. $55.00
SOLD!
This is one of those glass bead sets that you kind of stare at for a while. The base is a transparent brown and it’s rolled in a raku that lends itself to blues and greens and purples and rust. It’s still transparent in places…which makes you stare a bit longer.
Five beads: Squiggle focal is 40 mm long by 16 mm wide. Four matching rectangles are 15 mm x 10 mm wide. This set would make an amazing bracelet or necklace! $36.99
Teal, Turquoise, Lavender, Ivory, Earth tones all swirl together in this extra large focal lentil with matching small pair. It’s a heady mix. The focal is 34 mm round and almost 15 mm thick. The matching smaller pair is 18 mm round and 11 mm thick. This is a really stunning set! $60.00
Allow me to kvetch for a moment about cameras and the color blue. Most cameras never get it right. This glass bead is a cobalt blue… like the signature in the picture. I made this focal for a piece of jewelry for the Art Bead Scene’s July ’10 contest and never found the time or inspiration to make the jewelry. C’est la vie! 35 mm hole to hole x 30 mm wide. 22.95
Click photos for larger images!
This was a sample from a custom order for a focal glass bead. Sailboat on the ocean features brown hull and white sail. The sky is a baby blue. The water, a dark lapis color with streaks of dichroic and yellow. The glass bead is anchored by the sandy shoreline complete with mini seashells.
Measures: 1.4″ from hole to hole. .94″ wide. $36.00
OR Make it a pendant for 48.00. For $12.00 more, I will wire wrap it with crystals and sterling silver for a pendant. See Koi Fish pendant for example.
A dreamy mist of blues, gray and white in a long heart focal bead. Made entirely off mandrel, hot glass hanging in mid air, this bead is perfect for the Denim and Diamonds type girl. Just add it to a chain and hit the dance floor.
Measures: 2″ from the top of the bail to the tip. .84″ wide at the shoulders. This hole is generous and fits our leather necklaces, friction clasp, stainless steel and the silicone as well.
This swirling blue white and creamy glass heart pendant is a mysterious beauty! The blue is infused with a sparkly aventuring and dances in the light ! The photos do NOT do this glass bead justice! Fits the following necklace chains, sold in my findings section: Stainless steel, Friction Clasp,
Black Silicone.
Measures 2.3″ from the top of the bail to the tip x 1.12″ at the widest point. $24.00
