Autumn colors

The temperatures and the humidity are dropping in Georgia and there is a definite nip in the air.  It's time to start thinking about fall.  I've made an attempt to reproduce the Pantone fall colors in lampwork beads and here's the result:

As usual when attempting to reproduce the Pantone colors, its sometimes difficult to find an exact match in lampwork glass.  The glass I have selected is as follows, from top left to top right (Effetre unless otherwise noted): Alabaster turquoise (352), Lipstick (CIM 140), Avocado green (210), Weimaraner (CIM 811), EDP (254), Leaky pen (CIM 508), Heat wave (420), Desert pink (CIM 957), unknown color (label lost in the move from Fort Wayne to Atlanta), Lichen (Vetrofond 986).  All of the beads have a stringer of silvered ivory wrapped round the equator of the bead with silver wire melted in, and have been distorted out of round to add interest.  They are currently on sale in my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahDRoss.

Purple

Awhile ago, I purchase Timeless Purple frit from Bead Goodies.  I've been experimenting with it and one combination I like is the frit over a base bead of Plum (CIM 658).  After melting in the frit, I let the bead heat up and flow under gravity.  When I like what I see, I cool the bead, add dichroic sparkles (magenta), encase the bead in clear, and shape it.  Then I add cubic zirconium or two for good measure and this is the result:

Similar beads will be on sale in my Etsy shop soon (www.etsy.com/shop/DeborahDRoss).

Disc beads

Looking back over my posts from the past few months, I see I've been negligent in posting regularly, but I do have an excuse---I have participated in two local jewelry shows.  I've been so busy preparing for them that I haven't had time to post to the blog.  here is my attempt to get back on track.

For a Christmas present, I received a new Groovy Tool designed by Heather Trimlett.  Just as its name implies, it has three grooves in three different diameters.  The largest one is designed for hollow beads (more about these later).  I've been playing with the smallest groove, making small disc beads in various colors and decorating them with dots on the outer circumference:

Earrings made from these beads which will be on sale soon in my Etsy shop (etsy.com/shop/DeborahDRoss).

Copper green and EDP

One of my favorite colors of Effetre glass is copper green (219).  I like the minty green color when it is used alone.  I think it goes particularly well with black.  It also produces an interesting reaction with Effetre purple (254- also known as Evil Devitrifying Purple because it tends to lose its glassy sheen and become matte if mishandled), which Lynn Short reported on at a recent meeting of Southern Flames. The effect is shown in the beads below:

The color of the copper green glass in proximity to the EDP intensifies to a bright turquoise.  When copper green stringer is applied to an EDP base, there is a line of intense turquoise surrounded by lighter green Upper middle).  The bottom two beads show the effect of EDP stringers on a base bead of copper green.  The downside of using this effect is the possibility of EDP devitrifying and producing a white scum, which it does quite easily.  As suggested on the forum Wetcanvas, right before you finish the bead, put it in the hottest part of the flame until the purple turns glassy.  Then take it out and don't put it back into the flame. 

Purple and pea green earrings

I've been busy with Christmas preparations, cards, church bake sale and holiday bazaar among other things, so my bead making has suffered.  I've been experimenting, but nothing concrete.  One thing I have accomplished, however, it to make earring to go with a new top I made.  The material is colorful:  purple, pea green, orange, fuchsia, black and white.  I figured that dots would be the best way to incorporate all these colors in a single lentil bead.  So I made a base bead of white, a little smaller than my lentil press and placed dots of black, pea green, eggplant (CIM 655), EDP (Effetre 254) and Tangerine (Vetrofond 939) to cover most of the white bead.  The results are shown below, along with a scrap of leftover fabric:

The EDP had to be heated in intense flame to prevent the devitrification reaction, which was only partially successful, but I don't think it looks that bad on these beads.  The bead on the left has spots of Effetre Pink Stripe (253) instead of EDP.  I don't think it looks very good over white, it seems more apricot than pink, but by itself it produces quite a nice deep pink---more on that in a later post.

I've got a pair of earrings.  A necklace would be lost in the colors of the fabric, but a bracelet might be a nice accessory.