This bead is made out of a glass that changed colour in the flame. It starts out a lovely purple, but if I treat it right, it gains an irridescent shimmer and peacock colours! Once it hits the colours I like, I put it in the kiln and it remains that way. Sometimes it's not easy!
This bead is 15mm in diameterThis bead has a 5mm hole.
This bead is 12mm wide.
All my beads are made by myself, and annealed in a digital kiln directly from the flame. They have been cleaned for your convenience.
There are no metal cores in my beads. This keeps mine, and your costs down. You may see them added in the future, but for now, the beads are coreless.
Iridescent cylinder
When glass melts, it becomes a liquid-pliable and easy to manipulate into the shape you want. Glass will cool off the quickest where the 'skin' contacts the air. This means while the outside cools and hardens, it will contract, while the inner core is still liquid and will need to expand! This creates a lot of stress, and there will be cracks and weaknesses in the glass.
By placing the hot glass in a waiting hot kiln, the glass is able to equalize and the kiln cools off very slowly, letting the glass reach one temperature at the same time. This process will create a stronger bead for life on a bracelet or necklace or key chain.