Kaplan Creations Jewelry and Glass Design

What to do with wonky beads?

I still make my share of them, and don’t always want to throw them away. Usually I just try to dress them up somehow so that the indisputable weirdness isn’t as obvious. Here are some examples—-I always get compliments on these when I wear them and wonder if anyone (except for other lampworkers of course) notice the asymmetry?

Another thing I sometimes do is split the bead in half and melt the halves down in the kiln. Sometimes these turn out to be junk, but sometimes they can be made into nice little cabs.

 

I’ve been experimenting with adding fine silver to my beads. Since I just love the turquoise and ivory combination (which also makes that nice little black line between the two main colors), the silver adds an interesting effect. This has taken a bit of practice though, and I still manage to burn up a lot of my silver wire before actually getting it onto the bead (I use 28 gauge fine silver that I purchase from MonsterSlayer) . Need to work high up in the cooler part of the flame, or at least turn the flame down a bit before adding the silver. Anyway, here are some of my recent efforts (there are also a few without silver).

I’ve been busy setting up my new studio, which is currently just a big mess. Waiting to get the propane line plumbed in so I can hook up my oxygen concentrator and new torch (Carlisle Mini CC). Will be putting up some better pictures real soon.

Hello and welcome to my blog! I have been designing and creating jewelry pieces since 2003 using fused dichroic glass, lampworked beads, sterling silver, and a variety of other materials. I live in Alaska (the south central portion–near Anchorage) and my artistic endeavors are clearly influenced by the beauty of the gorgeous scenery. Join me in my passion for jewelry design and glasswork.