Word Beads

Magic Words in Glass to Dream and Inspire

Trying to pull all the pieces and bits together, here are some photos of the newest glass coming out of the kiln. Made some beads, and also this special glass toggle closure.

The toggle bar is fine silver wire, pulled with the torch into paddle shapes, and a loop added to attach the chain.

The idea is that the closure becomes the focal bead of the necklace, right out there in front, with wire wrapped or bead strung to go around the rest of the necklace.

Have found a way to get translucent beads with the words suspended in them, very shiny like glass gemstones, but functional as the clasp of the necklace.

This is a front and back view of a bead with the word 'D-R-E-A-M' embedded inside the glass.

It's shiny and translucent, and has a kind of dreamscape on the back side.

And the word is only visible from the front, like a hazy half-remembered dream.

The light shines through, it's not opaque, but it's kind of foggy, like a mystical image floating in the glass.


I like the way these are turning out, although they are time consuming. It takes three passes through the kiln to get them. One fusing at 1395 degrees F to put the image with enamels on the glass. That ramps up and cools down slowly, then another firing to 1500 degrees F to put the clear glass caps on the enameled image. After that slowly cools, and they have been shaped on the grinder (there's usually extra clear glass after the full fuse) they go back for a fire polish fuse to 1450 degrees F and cool down slowly.

I can only get a few pieces at a time out of a firing in my kiln, so I do other things while they are firing and cooling.

Love glass, there's nothing that looks and acts like it.

It's like M-A-G-I-C - like this little bead with its golden glow!