Pâte de Verre

Pâte de Verre, or glass paste, is a kiln-forming technique in which frits and glass powerders are packed into molds and heated until the glass melts together. The result is a bead with a translucent, velvet-like appearance ~ an effect that is unattainable in beads made on a torch. Pâte de Verre was frequently used in Art Nouveau jewelry. The designs that result from the technique are often compact, with only slightly raised surface decoration.

art by: Perihan Tufan

art by: Kristina Logan

"Seasonal Transitions" by: Amanda Taylor

Chevron Beads

Chevron beads were first made in Venetian glass factories in the late 15th century. Today, these classic beads are made on the end of a blowpipe, then dipped into color, and pressed into star molds.

 

Bead Art

                  Bead Art by: LuRocks Jewelry

                       Bead work by: Kerribeads

            Bead work by: carabeads

     Bead Landscape by: Lisa Binkley

Sandblasting



Sandblasting may seem like a crude techinque for a bead maker to use, but it can provide a means of exploring the relationship between the inside and outside of the bead.

                                 Bead work by: Stephanie Gough



Hollow Beads

                                          Bead art by: DeeDleBeads

The basic procedure for creating a hollow bead involves making two widely separated think disk beads on one mandrel. The edges of the disks are then marveled toward each other until they touch. Once the disks are sealed all around, the air trapped inside them expands and puffs the bead out into a spherical shape. Hollow beads refract and transmit light differently than solid glass beads; the beads add a lively transparency.

Artists Corner: Bruce St. John Maher

In the fused beads of Bruce St. John Maher, the redwood forests of Northern California are held like fossils in some crystalline relative of amber. Using enamels, Maher paints forest scenes for his beads with precision and detail. A career in the restoration and reproduction of enameled stained glass prepared him for this work in miniature landscapes.

To make a bead, Maher encases a painted scene between enameled layers, dichroic glass, and a final top layer of clear glass. The stack of glass is then fused in a kiln. Bruce St. John Maher fine tunes his shapes through hand lapidary work and faceting. A typical Maher bead features a small enameled fly encased in topaz glass with faceted edges ~ a piece that resembles amber from some Baltic beach.

 

Bead Making: Electroforming

Electroforming.. is the building up of a metal coating on the surface of objects that do not conduct electricity. Doing sculptural work in making glass beads can be very challenging, due to the small scale. While working on one part of a bead, other sections can crack or melt flat. The design has to be economical, with just enough detail to make the desired point.

Despite their diminutive scale, beads always succeed in communicating their meaning.