How do I make this bead?

[Kaye]

I always find it interesting when customers want you to create someone elses work.

[Judith Billig]

The customer doesn't care if it's someone else's original idea. They just want something looking like this.

For me personally there's a difference between seeing a bead on Ebay/a show/a current magazine with an artist selling this exact style/design right now and knowing that they're selling well ... and then wanting to recreate it (copy) to sell it on Ebay or Etsy.

Or having the request of a customer who saw a certain bead at some point somewhere (here: old bead magazin), not knowing who the artist is, not knowing if this artist is still selling this style and making this particular style bead as a one-off for the customer.

Just my 2 cts.

[SilverCreek Studio]

Topaz or Amber with Dark Silver Plum????

Maybe.....

[SilverCreek Studio]

Oh and hollow with a fairly large hole...

[SilverCreek Studio]

One more thing I remember is seeing a bead with the ends done like this. They were done by a male lampworker and I think he called them "Talisman Beads"

[wendbill]

Originally Posted by starlightdesigns

Can I use gold leaf for fuming or does it have to be gold foil?

LOL, Mary, how's it going?

Try three or four sheets of gold leaf.

[Karen Hardy]

Originally Posted by starlightdesigns

I get the feeling some of you are feeling uncomfortable with my request? I'm not planning to make these beads as part of my general production, it's just a one time thing, and I know darn well I won't come close to the original design. I would have been happy to ask the artist, but there again, I don't know who made it. My customer sent me the photo from a beading book she has.

Not so much that anyone is uncomfortable, as we all know to expect the
ugly old "copying" demon to rear its ugly head. I think that it's a cool bead,
and a valid interest in wanting to learn how to make it. That's why we're all
here - to learn from each other. I always try to keep that in the forefront of
my mind.

[SharonP]

The guy who made that used to have a booth across from me in Tucson back in 1998 or 1999 - his name was John, forget the last name. They're big fabulous honkin' huge beads, and *not* hollow.

He used a horribly dangerous irridizing solution that he'd gotten propriatary access to from some famous glass manufacturing company (name escapes me here). He was ill for awhile (hopefully not from the fumes from that solution?) and I haven't seen him at shows for years.

You'll never get the same effects he did because you won't be using the same chemicals, but if you play with silver reactive glass and fuming you could come up with your own variation of the design that could be just as fabulous, but YOURS. Maybe try wrapping a big hollow with Double Helix stringers?

Whatever you make, if it has stringers & some kind of shine, your customer will probably like it.

EDITED TO ADD:
Remembered the name - it was John Curtis, Zephyr Glass, from Wisconsin. Definitely solid beads, they were all furnace glass. And apparently he's still selling, there's a vendor at the 2010 Bead&Button who's advertising his stuff:

Alana’s Unique Glass Beads
E-mail Address: alanas@charter.net
Website: http://www.alanasgifts.com
Booths: 721
Exclusive distributor for glass furnace beads from John Curtis; necklaces; and accessories.


*s*

[wendbill]

Are irridized beads actually safe to wear?

[SilverCreek Studio]

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php...8046886&ref=em

John Winter

[theglasszone]

OMG! His work is beautiful!!! I see he has a DVD available in his store, too:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php...ng_id=27138364

Told 'ya I'd be watching! I am glad to see it's all positive and helpful in this thread so far! I just want to clarify about my previous posting, I was afraid to get too involved early on in case it got "proprietary" - it's a sore subject with me and I was playing it safe! I'm always up for sharing and learning...

Awesome recollection, Sharon - and thank you Silver Creek for posting that link!

De

[SharonP]

John Winter does wonderful work! That's a fabulous bead, and he uses different techniques than John Curtis, and nobody would confuse the two.

Isn't it wonderful how flexible this medium is? You can get all kinds of interesting results messing around in different ways - would be cool to have a Silver Glass Squiggle Challenge!

*s*

[Anne Londez]

Originally Posted by SharonP

EDITED TO ADD:
Remembered the name - it was John Curtis, Zephyr Glass, from Wisconsin. Definitely solid beads, they were all furnace glass. And apparently he's still selling, there's a vendor at the 2010 Bead&Button who's advertising his stuff:

Alana’s Unique Glass Beads
E-mail Address: alanas@charter.net
Website: http://www.alanasgifts.com
Booths: 721
Exclusive distributor for glass furnace beads from John Curtis; necklaces; and accessories.


*s*

I knew I'd seen them before. LE lacks the *I love your post* button !

This thread walks a fine line...

[barbaracollins]

John, that bead is gorgeous!!

[lunamoonshadow]

This artist does simliar beads (not shimmery), with the "threaded" look, calls them "spun sugar" beads...was written up in bead & button a long time ago...
bead & button article: http://www.beadandbutton.com/BNB/Obj...bpdf080472.pdf
her website:
http://www.joycerooks.com/gallery.html#
she doesn't do the irridizing, but she does the "multi-stringer look--in "matte" form...it's obviously a TECHNIQUE--I'd take it & run with it...figure out your OWN "spin" on it as it were
(but...really....the "borrowed photo, no credit given" thing?, it's still bad form & sooner or later, someone likely *is* going to call you out, 'cause that *is* a copyrighted photo from a *book* you've got posted up there in post #1 & on a public forum...)

[pam]

When I played with this technique years ago I used a heated gather on the end of a glass rod, lightly touched the gather to the bead, then spun the mandrel in a bench roller, moving the gather up and down the glass. When the first gather cooled, then reheat bead, heat another gather and start over again, etc., etc., etc.

[NMLinda]

I recognize the work, but for the life of me can't remember the artist. Talked with him once many years ago at Tuscon. Might have been 1998 as Sharon notes and Zephyr sounds familiar. He was very nice and explained his technique, and yes, it's old school, but a very basic and fundamental one that I've seen used in many other types of glass art. He didn't work in 104 glass, but I don't remember what type he used. Because of his method of applying the glass, his beads tended to be big - on the order of 1.5" or 2" in diameter. He did say that he irridized with stannous chloride and made it very very clear how dangerous this irridizing process is and that it should NOT be attempted without a great deal of knowledge and training in the hazards and precautions needed. It's fair to tell a customer that the look requires a technique that is too hazardous for you to comfortably do yourself.

That said, assuming that your client would be interested in a bead on the large side, and now that you have the name of the likely artist from Sharon, why not contact him and see if he would be interested in collaborating with you?

Linda

[starlightdesigns]

OK, folks, I've removed the image. I'm sorry I ever asked.

I am glad that some of you have posted who the possible artist might be so now at least I can try to find him/her. I will email the photo to these people and see if they can claim the bead as their own. Then I will ask them if it is OK for me to try to "do something similar" for my customer, which is all I wanted to do, not duplicate it exactly.

Lord knows I wouldn't want to do anything even remotely politically incorrect, (having learned THAT lesson many years ago), and I am sorry if anyone here thinks I crossed the line.

I will be exploring this and try to figure out how to create a suitable bead for my customer on my own using some of the suggestions here. And, for the record, I will not be sharing what I discover with anyone. Can't take the backlash.

I will add that it is unfortunate that we have become such a guarded community. While I freely give away my tuts and share my knowledge (what little there is of it) I realize I cannot expect the rest of the world to follow suit. Some do, but sadly, some do not.

I would appreciate it if some moderator comes along and closes this thread.

Thank you!

Debby

[shawnette]

Originally Posted by pam

When I played with this technique years ago I used a heated gather on the end of a glass rod, lightly touched the gather to the bead, then spun the mandrel in a bench roller, moving the gather up and down the glass. When the first gather cooled, then reheat bead, heat another gather and start over again, etc., etc., etc.

That is exactly the way I do it, minus the bench roller.

[pam]

Shawnette, the bench roller is a great tool for keeping your mandrel level and turning at a pretty good speed. I use it sometimes for things like this, adding stringer detail in a very close pattern.

[starlightdesigns]

I googled and was unable to find John Curtis of Zephyr Glass so I emailed the contact person Alana ~ thank you, Sharon!

Just in case, I also convo'd John Winter and am awaiting a reply.

Thanks,

[shawnette]

Great. One more tool to add... Thanks for enabling me, Pam...

[starlightdesigns]

It helps to spell Zephyr right when you're googling. I found an email address for John Curtis and I've emailed him now.

[pam]

No problem, Shawnette, I can probably do even better if you want!

[starlightdesigns]

Well, the email address I was given for John Curtis doesn't work...

[princessb]

Debby

It is very sad that you felt this came to the point that you crossed the line. I personally did not feel that way. You were clear in your original post that it was a photo from a book, that you did not know who created the bead and that you were trying to make a customer happy. I mean crap, most people on this forum have customers, want to make money and will do what they can to make them happy.

You were not trying to copy or take money out out someones pocket. I believe you used due diligence in asking the other artists on this forum if they knew who created it so that you could contact them.

I guess this thing makes me shake my head. As a newb (almost 2 years) I appreciate all the help and "most if the time" creative sharing. Yes, I get the coping thing...this did not fall in that category..

oh well...I am an insignificant person posting on this forum, I am not famous, nor do I have a known style...but I still have an opinion and I do read the responses and keep them in the back of my mind.

I also agree that it is sad that is such a guarded community. There is a ton of talent on this site that can be shared. I sure do appreciate those that freely share. Someday I hope to be one that can openly share. When I get there, I will...

[starlightdesigns]

Hi Princessb,

Thank you for your kind post. I honestly do not feel as though I've crossed any lines, but there are others that do here, and that's why I removed the image and posted my response in that fashion.

I've been here on LE a long time and have seen WAY too many threads get ugly on the whole copying issue and I always steer way clear of that stuff. I've worked in a lot of different types of artistic mediums and this is the only one that people seem to be overly sensitive about the whole copying issue, and I simply stand back and respect that.

I still do not think I have crossed any lines here. Had I know who the artist was from the git go, I would have contacted them directly.

[Laura B]

http://www.satincord.com/j_pendants_artist_zephyr.html

[shawnette]

Originally Posted by starlightdesigns

Hi Princessb,

Thank you for your kind post. I honestly do not feel as though I've crossed any lines, but there are others that do here, and that's why I removed the image and posted my response in that fashion.

I've been here on LE a long time and have seen WAY too many threads get ugly on the whole copying issue and I always steer way clear of that stuff. I've worked in a lot of different types of artistic mediums and this is the only one that people seem to be overly sensitive about the whole copying issue, and I simply stand back and respect that.

I still do not think I have crossed any lines here. Had I know who the artist was from the git go, I would have contacted them directly.

Judging from the replies you've received, the majority of us agree that you haven't. You asked about the technique, which is actually pretty common. I think if you had worded the title a bit differently, asking about the technique rather than the bead, a few less folks would have their panties all in a bunch. Oh well. You can't please everyone. I say don't sweat it.

[cgbeads]

I didn't get to see the original pix, but the beads in the links took my breath away.

If you can "reproduce" that effect, you're a bigger man than I am. But ya knoooow, I have gotten similar looks from dark silver plum.

-D