Of Good Cheer: Joie de Vivre jewelry

c o o l g l a s s & c e r a m i c s

The common element between glass and ceramic jewelry components is high heat in a kiln or other uniform heat source. Glass is an amorphous silicate in structure while ceramics are made of clay, which is usually comprised of a handful of different minerals in a more consistent structure. The glass shown here is usually lampwork glass, where an artisan works with a torch and molten glass to create small sculptures. Ceramic pieces are also sculpted through carving, firing and painting the clay.

Unicorne Beads is one of my favorite suppliers for lampwork glass beads and pendants. Their use of color and dichroic glass create unique, beautiful pieces that are durable and a treasure to own. Grace Lampwork Beads also creates small bead masterpieces, many with whimsical colors and shapes. Over the years, I've found a variety of lovely porcelain beads and charming ceramic pendants.

•• d e s i g n s w i t h g l a s s

l a m p w o r k g l a s s

These lampwork glass components come from different jewelry suppliers and show a variety of styles from this versatile medium.

Caravan

The Briny Way

Wide Open

g r a c e l a m p w o r k

Grace Ma, the maker behind Grace Lampwork beads, began selling her outstanding handmade lampwork glass beads in 2004. Her company uses high quality Venetian and German glass, and the beads follow a strict quality control process, including overnight annealing for better strength.

Glassworks

Galaxies

Yellowstone

u n i c o r n e b e a d s

Unicorne Beads is company in southern California that has been creating hand-crafted glass treasures for over 40 years, including dozens of bead styles distributed across the world. Beads are individually designed and made by highly skilled glassblowers. The glassblown items are fashioned in a torch flame using only the finest imported glass from Europe and the United States. Most of the bead colors are custom mixed, and each bead is carefully made and annealed in a kiln at over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit which makes for a stronger more durable bead. The higher temperatures are also responsible for the rich natural colors characteristic of Unicorne glass.

Blues