My Boro glass lampwork

Accelerate your spirit with these fun lampwork Borosilicate glass beads.  These beads were created by myself in the flame of my lamp work torch, and have been fully annealed in a digitally-controlled kiln to remove any stress.  I mean who needs stressed-out beads, right?!  Their hole size is 3/32 (approx 2.5mm), and the bead release (the clay inside their holes, deposited from when I created them on steel mandrels) the bead release has been cleaned out.  They range in size, but unless otherwise stated in the individual description, they are approximately 12 - 15mm by 5 - 7mm.  If you need exact sizes, I can happily measure them for you, but as they are all slightly different, I wanted to save some time, frankly in listing each set, and save you some money too.

 

I've been creating these Spiral Disc Beads for over 6 years ~ although the design appears to be a rather basic one, their symbolism, colors and panache never fail to delight both myself, and my Customers.

 

To be able to express to you just how I feel about creating these Spiral Disc beads, I set off on a Google search on the meaning and symbolism of spirals, and came upon this site which resonated with me.

 

Here is the gist of what they describe: 

 

 

 

Well, I almost fell off of my chair when I read that last part!  Maybe I have some Celtic blood, I dont know, but moreover, it answers the question I so often pose myself:  Why is it that I simply cannot stop making these Spiral Disc beads? It's true, I admit and confess it is more than an obsession of mine, I often sit down at my torch to create something else, and more often than not, within mere minutes, I am compelled to make more spirals. "Mind-altering" indeed ~!

 

Forming them in the hot flame of my torch absolutely does release my own mind into a creative splendor, and I truly believe they will do the same for you while working them into your own jewelry creations. You can see how I've used some of them in my own designs in my Gallery, but the design possibilities using these super Boro beads are endless, from totally basic, to downright extravagant.

 

I start by creating a custom cane by layering several colors of glass on to a base color, and then pulling that out into a useable cane. As I have written in my blog post  there are many variables involved to achieve the end results that I do.  For these reasons, no two are quite alike.  Sure, they are of the same family, but they are created in small batches of color combinations, and although there may be some similarity from batch to batch, no two will ever be the exact same which is something I adore about working with magical, mysterious Borosilicate glass ~ and something I do intentionally.  They are excellent to mix and match, because as you may have noticed while viewing some of my work, I tend to work within a harmonious field of colors...yet one more of my obsessions which I will write about on another day!  Sometimes, they have totally different colors on each side! A little trick that I discovered many moons ago ~ something I keep under my hat, and is downright super cool.  When there is such a great difference from one side to the other, I have included pictures of both sides.

 

Now I ask you ladies and gentlemen ~ how could you possibly resist the effects of balance in your life, progress in your work, and union with cosmic energies all in a set of Boro glass Spiral Disc Beads?  Plus, of course, your purchase will allow me to continue my own creative journey, bringing you Art created from my very heart and soul, for which I humbly thank you.