I have always been fascinated by glass. I remember as a child going with my family to Fenton Glass Works and watching the craftsman make beautiful pieces from glowing globs of molten glass. At that time you were allowed to be right on the floor with the glassmakers. Feeling the heat from the furnaces, watching them blow air gently into the molten glass, shaping it, swinging it ... I was hooked!
I took my own children on a glass tour along the banks of the Ohio River. Unfortunately many of the glass works had shut down. Fortunately as we traveled the hills on the West Virginia side of the river we found marble making places tucked here and there. The kids loved watching them make commercial marbles. In the scrap piles outside the girls were able to dig through and find all kinds of marbles to delight them
Which brings me to my point. I’ve been doing research on lampwork glass beads. While I’m not ready to take up the torch myself I have found glass artisans on Etsy who make beautiful beads. I’ve bought 12 pairs of beads which I am in the process of turning them into earrings. I’ve decided to honor the efforts of these artisans by pairing their glass beads with sterling silver beads and findings, Swarovski crystals and other high end materials. You can see and purchase for yourself, these lovely earrings, in my Etsy shop.
