Showcasing my Necklaces

I decided it was time to put together a showcase of some of my unique woven pieces that are available from my website.



Golden Fleece US$360.00/AU$418.00



Saturn US$330.00/AU$385.00



Sleeping Beauty US$360.00/AU$418.00



Apricot Sorbet US$920.00/AU$1137.00



Flame US$920.00/AU$1137.00



Berry Mix US$850.00/AU$1050.00


I hope you enjoyed the show!

The Resulting Jewellery Piece

Continuing from my post last week, my components have all been applied to my weaving and this is my latest piece to evolve - 'Primeval'











My next project is already on the work board and taking shape. It's been quite some time since I created a necklace in purples, so that will be the focus for this piece.



seed beads



seed beads and lampwork spacer beads



focal bead



focal bead - reverse side


The results of my purple project will be shown later this week.

My Necklace is ready for Viewing!

After working out the components for this piece and showing you all last week, to my great disappointment I found 2 of the strands of pearls had holes that were too small to thread onto my weaving cord. I had made the focal bead to go with the colours of the pearls so had to do a frantic search for beads in similar hues. Luckily I found just enough pearls to go with the strand I could use, but I didn't have any in the copper colour I had planned on designing with. I decided to bring the copper in with some Swarovski crystals I had, and I think considering all the hiccups it has come together well. I like the extra sparkle the crystals have added without being over the top in the bling department.



Sleeping Beauty



Sleeping Beauty Detail


So what do you think, the sudden change to crystals has still given me the colour affect I was after. Another lesson learnt, always check the hole size before planning ahead.

Lampwork Beads: From Molten Glass to Wearable Art

This is an article I wrote quite some time back and thought you may enjoy reading it:




My devotion to glass is insatiable, it's molten state has an almost hypnotic effect on me. From a solid strip of glass on a hot flame, it becomes molten in front of your eyes and can then be manipulated by the artist to produce a beautiful intriguing lampwork bead. The bead may then become an integral part of a piece of jewellery, worn proudly for many years and passed down as a heirloom for generations to come.

It has been recorded in history the earliest form of glass beads discovered were made around 3000bc. These beads were used mainly for trade. In the late 1200's Venice became the major city for bead artists when the production was moved to the island of Murano.

Lampwork beads were made directly from a furnace. A mandrel (wire) was dipped into the crucible of molten glass and wound around the mandrel. Further progress was made by the Venetians who used an oil lamp connected to bellows. The pumping of the bellows added oxygen to the flame in order to increase the heat sufficiently to melt a glass rod which would be wrapped around a mandrel to form the bead.

Today, as a lampwork artist my method of making glass beads does not differ greatly from the 1500’s. There is no longer the need to pump bellows to gain the desired heat, instead a bench burner is attached to a source of both gas and oxygen. These fuels mixed together produce a very hot flame in which the glass is melted and wrapped around a stainless steel mandrel coated with a bead release to prevent the bead from sticking.

The intricate designs seen on many lampwork beads are made in a variety of methods. A great deal of decoration is created by pulling a thin thread of molten glass called a 'stringer'. The stringer is then added to the bead whilst in the flame in dots or lines to form many different patterns.

There are quite a few major manufacturer’s producing glass rods specifically for lampworking. It is very important that the glass used in a bead is of the same coe - coefficient of expansion. This means the glass must be compatible with one another so that they expand and contract at the same rate, if not, cracking will occur. In many cases 2 glasses from different manufacturers or even the same manufacturer may not be compatible. My lampwork techniques are a little different in that I prefer to use compatible sheet glass which I cut into strips. This source allows me to work with a wider colour palette.

Some amazing effects can be experienced with the inclusion of fine silver wire. When added between 2 layers of glass the silver will often result in a gold colour, whilst on the surface will retain it's silver effect. Leafs or foils of silver, gold, palladium and copper also add to the uniqueness of a lampwork bead. A new design can be discovered every day along with different shapes and intriguing sculptures.

The durability of a lampwork bead is often a question asked, after all it is made from glass. All lampwork beads with no exception should be put through an annealing cycle immediately after it is taken out of the open flame. This is achieved by placing the bead into a preheated kiln at approximately 530ºc/985ºf , this temperature may alter slightly according to the type of glass used. My beads remain in the kiln until I have completed creating for the day (approx. 7 hours), left at that temperature for another hour, then switched off where my well insulated kiln will slowly reduce the temperature over the next 9 - 12 hours. The annealing process eliminates any stresses in the bead to give it a more stable condition.

Lampwork beads are miniature canvasses of art. They are a conversation piece that will always fascinate. Lampwork beads are meant to be touched and admired as wearable art, a focal point of an item or showcased as a collector's specimen.

Latest Woven Necklace

This lampwork focal bead I had created some time ago, and it's been for sale on my lampwork website for way too long. I decided it was meant to be for one of my creations, so I chose the seedbeads, gemstones and complimenting lampwork beads in a colour combination that I felt worked well with the focal. I've chosen turquoise, dyed fossil beads, jade and sodalite gemstones to blend through this piece along with Japanese seedbeads, bone beads and of course my lampwork beads. The choice of colours and design of the focal screams out for this piece to be titled 'Horizon'.















I hope you like my latest!

My Unique Jewellery

As another new week starts, I have created another new design. As you may already know, I dabble in some silversmithing, I weave and I make lampwork beads. I enjoy creating and incorporating all my loves into the one piece, and this one is no exception.

My handmade chain in sterling silver, flowing into a woven piece of my lampwork beads, gemstones and Japanese seed beads.

Welcome To My New Blog

I've been toying with the idea of setting up a blog for quite some time, and finally here it is. If you have stumbled across my blog and have not heard of Glass & Splinters, allow me to give you a brief outline. I have been creating lampwork glass beads since 1997, and in 2001 I left behind my stained glass and leadlight business to work over the flame full time. I also weave many of my lampwork beads into unique pieces of wearable art.
I will post here regularly showing my latest creations and adding any other info that I think will be of interest to you. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and feel free to make a comment.