Introducing new metal items! 😀
These are solid brass and copper bead caps used to finish European style big hole beads like Trollbeads, Pandora, Biagi, Chamillia, etc.
Once the bead is cored with metal tubing, and flared over the top edge, the bead cap is permanently secured against the bead as a decorative accent. (You can view my Etsy store for my finished lampwork beads with bead caps!)
Something new for me lately is the combination of metal components with my lampwork beads.
I have been exploring making my own bead caps, experimenting with different metals and different techniques, and finally developed a way to stamp and finish them that works well with my bead designs.
So far I’ve been working mainly in brass and copper as I love the rich coloring of these metals, and the way they look when antiqued.
This is a design that has been on my mind for months. But, as often happens, ideas don’t always come to fruition on the first attempt…or the second, or even the third attempt… In my case it took quite a while before I taught myself to make a nice hollow bead and then figured out all the details as to how to finish them so they looked the way I wanted them to.
But after much trial and error I am very happy with the results, and as a bonus they are so fun to make now. Not frustrating like they had been for so long – lol! 😀
I’m on a roll! 😀
I recently stumbled upon a neat trick that transforms simple colored glass frit into a washed watercolor effect on a reactive glass base! The technique produces translucent pools of color that take on a unique, one of a kind look with every bead. 😀
Here’s a bead I made using an old tried-and-true technique which always produces great results and a unique look – combining dark ivory glass with fine silver foil. It turns ordinary glass into what looks like natural stone.
CCGlassArt 