Lampwork Beads | Gail Nettles

Archive for the ‘Lampwork Beads’ Category

Making Beaded Jewelry

Making beaded jewelry has been part of my life so long. And when I realized I'd been feeling kind of blue lately, I remembered that I hadn't made anything in a few months.

Horrors! Can it really be that long, at least 3 months since I've had beads in hand? No wonder I have felt out-of-sorts.

But here's the problem -- what should I make? It always seems to be the same way for me -- either I have too many ideas and can't decide what I want to do first...or no ideas at all! Do you ever find that happening to you?

I decided to get out some photos of my lampwork beads and see if they could give me inspiration. And you know what's funny? Of the hundreds (and probably thousands) of lampwork beads I have made, I probably have....maybe a dozen to call my own.

Making Beaded Jewelry

If you've been making beaded jewelry for any length of time, you know what bead paralysis is. You have beads of all kinds - lampwork, gemstone, crystal - and findings galore. Got beading cord or string? Check. Are the tools handy? Yep.

Then....so much to choose from and so little time to bead it all up! How to choose what to make first?

When I am totally stumped, I make a bracelet. It's faster than a necklace but involves me a little more than most earrings do. And you know what's funny? I tend to make jewelry that I don't have anything to wear with! I mean, I see a color combination to die for -- I make something up and then realize nothing I have coordinates with it.

Ever have that happen to you?

So now I am staring at the few remaining of my own lampwork beads that I have in my possession. I'll need to root around some, but I should be able to find my Swarovski and my sterling beads. Findings...that may be tough; hopefully I have at least one clasp floating around in my stash. If not, I have a lot of silver wire, so I can improvise.

Decisions after beading decisions...

OK, so let me go and see what I can come up with, as far as making beaded jewelry. Meanwhile I'll leave you with some beady pictures of other lampwork artists on ebay (my other source of inspiration).

Catch up with you later!

30x30mm Lampwork Glass Beads Flower Heart Pendant 1pc
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US $2.99

MURANO MORETTI HANDMADE LAMPWORK GLASS BEADS SRAH160
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US $12.00

MURANO MORETTI LAMPWORK BEAD 4MM SILVER CORE FITS TROLL
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US $18.50

25PCS BLACK LAMPWORK GLASS RICE Loose Beads Strand
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US $1.99

cool crazy lampwork glass loose beads focal lot hot i53
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US $9.99

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Beaded Bead Bracelet

I decided to try a beaded bead bracelet, since I found three of my lampwork beads that were hanging out and not doing anything. I immediately saw that they used two of the colors from my coraling bracelet (which I am slowly but surely working on), so I got the idea to make a beaded bead bracelet.

Beading the Beads

I decided on three different types of beaded beads; a small tubular ndebele, a ladder stitch and a fringed donut.

Beaded Bead and Lampwork Bracelet

The ladder stitch and tubular ndebele look amazingly alike, but I think the tubular ndebele is stronger. I probably won't wear this bracelet very often (I just have too many), so I didn't worry about the ladder sticth ones coming apart.

The fringed donut was easy; just a loose circle of six beads, and then I created two finges for each bead. Keep the original circle on the loose side, since you'll be passing the thread around the beads several times, and it tightens up on its own. That much I learned from my first one!

I found some turquoise, in two different qualities. One was a large chip, supposedly from the Sleeping Beauty mine. The other was matrix turquoise from China. Both were certainly useful, but naturally the Sleeping Beauty was much nicer.

I located a toggle clasp that I didn't realize I had for the closure, as I am out of the lobster claw, and I don't like using magnetic on my wrist (I get my hands and wrists too close to my laptop's hard drive for my own comfort).

Haven't named this beaded bead bracelet as yet, because I'm not sure what to call it -- nothing is jumping out at me. Guess I'll have to wear it awhile and see.

Closeup of the Coraling

The Coraling Goes On

I'm still working on my coraling bracelet, and it's taking longer than I anticipated. Probably because I decided to make the bracelet dense with beads. First, here is a closeup of the coraling; you can't get the effect, but I thought it was a really cool photo.

Now keep in mind that my bracelet is based on a peyote stitch. Then I am snaking up through and between the various beads with the coraling.

OK, so just what is coraling? I guess you could call it a kind of kinky fringing. The difference (in my mind, anyway) is that the coraling creates branches which can contain branches. Kind of like what coral looks like.

I don't know where the name originated, but after working with it, I think it's apt. I like it better than kinky fringe, because I think coraling leads to more possibilities.

Coraling Bracelet, One Third Done

OK, now here's the amount of the bracelet I have done; roughly one third is coraled at this point.

I decided to use three (four, if you cound the accent beads) different colors in this bracelet. One is an inside color green encased in a light yellow. Another is a turquoise encased in clear. The final is a matte jade color.

One note; I used size 8 seed beads for the peyote base, I didn't use the tubulars. The tubulars I found give a firmer stitch, which is exactly what I didn't want for this bracelet; I wanted it very flexible to start, because I was going to be going back through the size 8's many times, which would stiffen the bracelet some. The coraling beads are a mix of size 11 seed beads and tubular beads.

That's all for today, as my eyes have gotten tired and my fingers sore from pricking them far too many tmes with the needle while making the tiny beaded beads. See you later!

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Bead Buying and Supply Sources

I don't know about you, but I love virtual on-line bead shopping. And yes, I do very much enjoy going to bead shows and fondling the merchandise, there aren't a whole lot of shows where I live. For that matter, there aren't many bead shops close by, either!

Lampwork and Swarovski

So, the internet, and especially ebay, are my shopping companions. Ebay especially I love for two items: and also . Honestly, outside of a bead show, you can't find a better selection of artisan lampwork beads than on ebay.

Sterling Silver

Then there are places like Monsterslayer where I enjoy buying sterling products -- beads, clasps, wire, etc. Not a high-tech site, for sure, but the prices are great! (And the more you save the more goodies you can buy, right?)

Gemstone Beads

Buying gemstone beads is a bit tricky. In the beginning I bought a lot of my gemstone beads at the online stores you see advertised prominently in the beading magazines. Then I went to some gem and bead shows and saw what I had been missing (in other words - a lot). So these days, I try to buy hands-on whenever possible.

I did find one place online I was impressed with, though -- Stones 'N Silver. I bought a few loose gemstone beads to try them out, and I was pleased enough to go back. The blue lace agate beads I bought were especially yummy! Come to think of it, maybe it's time I go back again for more goodies like their beautiful leopardskin jasper.

Miscellaneous Beading Supplies

OK, other supplies. Yep, now is the time I use those big bead places like Fire Mountain -- stringing supplies, Delica beads, glues, needles and other miscellaneous items.

Lampwork Bead Supplies

And lampwork glass. I do an awful lot of glass shopping on ebay for glass as well, especially the . Then of course I am on several email lists for various small glass suppliers, so when I get word of a sale....

Eye Candy For Today

Right now I'll leave you with some beady eye candy from Sisters Beads on ebay. I do so enjoy looking at their auctions, and I hope you do, too.

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Can I Interest You in Boro?

For awhile I worked with borosilicate ("boro") glass. It's a different kind of glass from what I normally use (soda-line or "soft" glass).

Boro lampwork beads are different in many ways than "regular" glass. For one, boro is stiffer and takes longer to melt (quite awhile if you're on a Bobcat with 2 concentrators, like me). It also stiffens faster out of the flame, which is both a blessing and curse.

These days, there are a lot of glasses that can reproduce the "boro effects". The newest silver glasses can give those swirly, streaky, "oil slick" look that boro does so very well.

Still, there are days when nothing but boro will do. There are some pendant beads that I've tried to reproduce in soft glass, but they just aren't the same. For one, the optical qualities of the boro are unmatched by the soda-lime glasses. Yes, the bead is pretty with soft glass. But it's awesome done up in boro!

I don't really have any of my boro work left (sold it all, sigh), but I want to show you some work by Lori Robbins. I was honored to be a student of Lori's, where she was able to teach me more than I could have ever learned from a book or DVD. Anyway, I'll leave you with some of her work on ebay, so you can marvel at what a lovely job she does!