Nyx Hollow Beads

Greetings bead lovers! I'd like to show off this simple pair of Nyx glass hollow beads I made recently. I'm still practicing with hollows so the shape is a little "organic." At least I got dimpled ends on this pair, that was my main goal. I love using just a single glass color in my beads, and Nyx is great for that because of its variety of metallic shades:

It's been ages since I've written in this blog! I often think about my blog and miss it like a good friend I haven't talked to in a while. It's so good to be back in touch.
More soon I hope. I've been making marbles and want to show you some pictures of them!

Bead Pairs and Nyx Spacers

I'm figuring out the loaner kiln I got from the Glass Hive and last night I made a set of Nyx spacers. I really like the oil-slick colors I got on these:I've also found some nice orphan pairs in my collection of extra beads. They're not exact matches, but either they're close or they go together well. They're listed in my Etsy shop:

New Metallic Orphan Beads

I have two new sets of metallic and striking Double Helix orphan beads in my Etsy shop. This set of blue, green and gold metallics:And this set with pink, purple, orange and gold:Just a quick post tonight, I wanted to let you know about these sets!

Two New Scroll Sets

I have two new scroll design bead sets in my Etsy shop. This first set has Triton scrolls melted into an Ivory base. The reaction between these two glasses makes a great organic webbed effect:The second set is made with a Nyx base and raised Aurae scrolls. I love this glass combo:Here's another Nyx and Aurae set I made a few months ago:
TGIF!!!
:-)

Latest Bead Sets

These two sets are new in my Etsy shop:The top set is made with a base of Nyx and flattened wraps of Triton glass. I love the colors of Nyx and the industrial look of these beads. The second set is made with (I think!) Terra2 glass and the Double Helix odd lot KA-356. I swirled the colors together, struck and then encased.

Next on the chopping block - perhaps for tomorrow - is a set of mixed metallic beads and a set of Pandora glass spacers, inspired by Gardanne! I'm still working on the Pandora set. Some of my beads from yesterday did not strike. My set is not turning out anything like the pretty earth-tone colors in Gardanne's set, I'm getting more purples and blues, in the beads that are striking anyway.

Visit my Fresh Green Glass Treasury on Etsy to see some lovely beads in various shades of green made by some very talented lampwork artists!

Nyx and Triton Beads

Nyx might be my favorite Double Helix reducing glass because it's so easy-peasy to reduce. Triton used to be easy for me, but something happened... either it's the new batch I got, or the moon has moved out of phase this past year, who knows, but I can't easily get that nice shiny gold from Triton anymore. I've gone from Triton Queen to Triton Jester in a short span of time. Oh well! :-D

I pulled out my Triton the other day to use on this set. I love these beads... they've sold, but they were fun to make so I might have to make them again. The base is Nyx, the sprial wrap is Triton:

Metallic Thread Beads

I have two new sets on Etsy. This first set is a "destash" of orphaned metallic thread beads. They're various sizes and shapes and use combinations of Nyx, Elektra, Kronos and Aurae:This set is made with a base of Nyx and threads of Aurae:I'm waiting anxiously for the UPS lady today who is bringing a pound of Triton from ABR! They're having a sale on Double Helix glass right now.

Silver Glass Etsy Listings

I have two new Etsy listings tonight. The first is a set of Nyx accent beads:The silver glasses never cease to amaze me! I don't think I've ever made a set of Nyx beads that turned out so silver-y. Every day that I work with a silver glass it comes out a little different than the day before. It's almost impossible to truly duplicate a bead or set with silver glass in it.

Another case in point is the next bead, made with Triton and Kronos frit and encased with Aether clear. There's no way I could predict how the colors on this bead would turn out, and if I used the same recipe again a hundred times I'd have a hundred different beads:Lovin' it!!!

Crystals

I had an order recently for a set of crystal-shaped beads, and it got me on a crystal bead kick. I used Zoozi's Crystal press for these.

This set is Luna 2, encased with Aether:
These have a Nyx base with a little Triton frit, encased with Aether:
These are original Terra, encased with Aether:Somehow the beads look better in person than they do in these photos. They're very sparkly and colorful in the sunlight! I have another set of Pale Emerald Green and Triton crystals I'm cleaning now. I will post a photo when they're done.
:-)

Nyx!

I just put these Nyx accent beads into my Etsy shop. I love the color range on this set. Nyx can be unpredictable in the flame, and it also strikes from dark blue to turquoise the longer it soaks in the kiln. I love this glass!

A Terra and A Silver Glass Set

I have been soooo slooooow getting new bead sets listed ever since the Holidays! Someone remind me that vacation is over and it's time to get back to work! I know it's Sunday, but what is up with this laziness?

These two sets will be going into my Etsy shop at some point today. Probably after the parent/teacher conference, trip to ACE hardware, grocery shopping, driving my daughter's friend home, and cooking dinner! I sometimes enjoy forgetting the 'Mom' duties!

This set is encased Terra:I love the variety of colors I get when I work with Terra. These were all made at the same torch session, yet each one came out a little different!

This is one of my eclectic mixed metallic sets. I used a lot of Nyx with some Triton:
Lovely day, everyone!

Shards, Pt. 2

I broke up the big shards from my last post into small pieces for applying to beads:The shards are Triton Odd(r), and in this set I've applied them to a regular Triton base:I love the colors of Triton Odd! I do a cycle of reducing and then oxidizing to bring out the magentas and blues.

An on another set, I applied the shards to a Nyx base:These beads are part of my next set, which is on a base of Curdled Ivory:Figuring out how to apply the shards took a little practice, but now that I've got the hang of it it's really fun!

Leaves of Lothlorien

I've been working on sets of sculptural leaves, inspired by The Lord of the Rings story of the forest of Lothlorien. This first set of leaves is made with Nyx and Triton glass:This set is all Triton:Here is a quote from The Lord of the Rings about the forest of Lothlorien:

"There lie the woods of Lothlórien!" said Legolas. "That is the fairest of all the dwellings of my people. There are no trees like the trees of that land. For in the autumn their leaves fall not, but turn to gold. Not till the spring comes and the new green opens do they fall, and then the boughs are laden with yellow flowers; and the floor of the wood is golden, and golden is the roof, and its pillars are of silver, for the bark of the trees is smooth and grey. So still our songs in Mirkwood say. My heart would be glad if I were beneath the eaves of that wood, and it were springtime!"
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 'Lothlorien'

I've also made a set of Terra autumn leaves (I'm still hoarding a stash!):
Happy December!

Silver vs. Gold

I use a lot of Triton glass in my bead designs, which tends to reduce to a gold luster. Lately, some of my customers have been requesting metallic beads in silver because they design their jewelry with silver findings. These requests have led me to work again with Psyche glass, which reduces to a very pretty silver-blue.
These beads are made with Nyx and Psyche. They're in my Etsy shop:I've pressed down with a tool on the Psyche scroll designs to flatten the stringer. I thought it looked more like "hammered silver" that way, especially over the "patinated copper" green of the Nyx glass.

I continue to design in gold Triton, of course, because I love the color of gold. I think there's something special about being able to have a gold-looking bead or piece of jewelry during times when real gold is so expensive. There is something warm and healing about gold, too.

As for myself, I tend to wear silver jewelry, probably like the majority of people. Look for more silver Psyche designs coming soon!

Silver Glass Mixed Set

Just posted in my Etsy shop, a new silver glass eclectic set, this one made with Triton and Nyx. There is a lot of antique coppery-green in this set, plus shades of blue and hints of purple/magenta. I love making these sets!

Custom Ordered Sets

I've been working on a few custom orders this past week.
This is a set of beads made with Cattwalk's button press and decorated with stringers of silver glass:
A set of spacers made with black and silver glasses, with dots of fine silver:
Some round beads made with Psyche over Dark Amber. There is a nice reaction between these two glasses that makes a fine light-colored line where they meet:
A set of Nyx beads with Triton scroll designs:Hope you all had a great weekend. I'm exhausted, personally! Can any of you beadmaker/parents of small children relate to that?! :-D Looking forward to Monday!

Textured Triton Sets

I've made a few of these sets lately. They're really fun to make because I don't have to try and repeat a design, I can just get creative with bead shapes. Triton lends itself to textured beads because the raised and lower parts of the texture turn different colors depending on how much of the reduction flame they get. The photos don't really convey the range of metallic color in these sets; they have to be looked at in different lighting (sun, shade, etc.) to really appreciate how much the color shifts on the Triton.

In this first set I've used Triton and Nyx, with a little Ivory and clear. The Nyx has an antique or patinated copper green color that I really like:


This set is pretty much all Triton, with a little clear for the encased cube-shaped beads:

Eclectic Set and a Focal Bead

Here's another one of my mixed sets, this one with mostly Triton but also a lot of Nyx and Kronos. This is one of my favorite sets so far. There are some interesting beads in this mix, and I love the purple color on the bead on the far left. That purple color is from Nyx!This is a Triton/Kronos/Nyx focal bead I made recently. It has a little bit of gold and silver leaf, and it's encased in clear:

Nyx Spiral Disks

I seem to have "disk days" and "NOT disk days." A not-disk-day is when no matter how many times I try, the disks melt into blobs, they're all uneven, they fall over sideways, etc, etc. I don't know why some days I can make them and some days I can't. On a recent good disk day, I made this set of Nyx disks, in my Etsy shop right now:

Triton with Nyx

This set has a Nyx base with Triton scroll designs. I was making these beads as part of my eclectic sets but thought a group of them would work, too. I think they'd look good together in a bracelet.