Earthy Etched Brown Lampwork Glass Beads

I've had time to finish etching and editing these gorgeous opaque brown lampwork glass beads.  Wow, they turned out great.  This group reflects the matte bead finish where my last post showed you how the glossy brown beads turned out.

These first two show the matte glass bead 444 with a solid colored lampwork spacer bead and a lampwork pair wrapped in .999 fine silver.  These are a richer medium brown tone in my world of color even though it is labeled light brown.  They have a slight rusty color the camera seems to love to pick up.  They are beautiful shade and go well with the dark red below.  The streaking on these beads do not show but we can see everything in bright magnification as they are in these close up macro images.

The next two bead pairs show opaque dark red brown 452  This is how they look etched lampwork glass bead and the dark red bown wrapped in fine silver.  These more resemble the color of dark semi sweet chocolate chips.

 

 

My next day of bead making will include the glass color called dark brown 448.   After I get them done and processed I will show a picture of all of them together so you can see how they look as a group.

What Took Three Days To Get Quality Photos?

These delicious looking browns.  I struggled all weekend taking photos and retaking photos just to get the perfect pictures of these handmade lampwork beads.  After getting a good photo the next challenge was editing them.  There are several different brown and I was going to wait till I had them all, but was so thrilled with the pictures turned out, I just had to post my glossy lampwork beads.

The first one today is opaque light brown 444.  It is a delicious chocolate brown color that makes me think of creamy Hershey's candy bars.  Here is the the solid light brown  and the light brown with fine silver. 

The other one I had ready is called Dark Red Brown 452.  It is a scrumptious rich darker semi-sweet chocolate color.  Here it is in a solid glass bead and also wrapped in fine silver.

There is one more brown called dark brown 448.  I didn't make these at the same time as I thought I might get the colors mixed up.  Wouldn't want that to happen.  Some colors are very similar in rod form and vary from batch to batch.  So I will make it next time I get a chance to torch again.  I haven't had time to etch these yet, so it will be a big surprise for both of us!

The Wonderful World of Amethyst Glass Lampwork Beads

In my last blog, I wrote about opening my new online store and taking you on a journey with me as I make and stock my store.  I shared a picture showing all of the Moretti Effetri glass colors of amethyst.  There are four shades of transparent amethyst glass - pale amethyst, light amethyst, medium amethyst and dark amethyst.  This group is am showing you today is wrapped in .999 fine silver.  I want to show you how these beautiful beads look glossy and etched.

The first shade is pale amethyst purple 046.  This is the palest amethyst color.  They are a very pale, pale shade of purple.  They are so delicate and dainty looking.  I think of romantic beads ready ready to embrace a lacy blouse when I see these.  They are so awesome frosted also.  You can find the glossy lampwork beads wrapped in fine silver here and the dainty frosted sea glass looking beads with fine silver here.

The second group is known as light amethyst purple 040.  This group starts thinking more of color without being overbearing.  They are feminine and look fabulous with so many projects.  Your can find the glossy glass bead wrapped in fine silver here or the frosted beads wrapped in silver here.

The third goup of amethyst glass is known as medium amethyst purple 042.  This shade is has a bursting with purple.  They are rich a dramatic color and says, hey I am here.  The glossy lampwork beads are here while the etched satiny matte beads are here.

 

 

Then we come to the fourth color in the group.  It is called dark amethyst purple 044.  These beads are very very dark purple.  These remind me of dark juicy plums.  You can see the etched beads almost look black.  You can find the shiny beads wrapped in fine silver here and the frosted matte beads with fine silver here.

 

One more interesting fact.  Black is a transparent color of purple that is so dense it looks black. I always found that very interesting because I think of black being just black.  I have a focal bead I made that is a good example showing the transparency of black.  I will show you at a later date.

This whole group of amethyst glass beads look wonderful mixed and matched with glossy or etched to show all the colors of purple. You can buy as many as you like in my Covergirlbeads Online Webstore.  I can be reached at covergirlbeads@yahoo.com if you need to get in touch with me.

I've finally decided to do it...

Build my new Covergirlbeads Online Store! After having my Zencart store crash a couple of years go, I had decided to only maintain my Artfire store and Esty store for a while. I ran across Julie and Blu of Blue Morning Expressions on Artfire and noticed she also has a Zencart store.  Her online store is Blue Morning Expressions if you want to check them out. She makes some beautiful polymer clay canes and jewelry. After seeing all the polymer clay canes, it makes me want to venture out into yet another project in the distant future.  Upon talking with her about Zencart and online stores, I realized how much I really missed my own store. So I did it....I started a new Covergirlbeads Online Store.


I have decided to share my experience with you.  My name is Charlotte Hayes and I melt glass rods in fire to create handmade lampwork beads.  Glass rods come in about every color you can think of.  I have icy clear, white, ivory, amber, brown, yellow, green, orange, red, purple, black and gray.  Probably more but that's what I can think of right now.  Then think of every shade on those colors that are transparent, translucent and opaque.  Now that's a lot of glass.  And these are just the basics I will start off with. My new online store is not stocked full of items yet, it takes time you know. 

My first goal is to make beads in every color I have.  I will make solid beads I call spacers.  They are the same as any other bead except for being one color.  Then I want to offer them in glossy or etched so you can see the difference.  I decided to use pictures of beads I have made in the past and added some of the items I currently have in my Artfire store.  Just a little something to get me started while I set up the feel of the store. 

Here is a picture of some beads I made showing the group of amethyst purple glass.  The first picture shows a picture of how these awesome beads look shiny or glossy.  The second picture of handmade glass beads have been etched for a satiny frosted sea glass bead finish:

I will share more about these colors soon.  Stay tuned and enjoy the wonderful journey of beads and the drama of color!

How To Photograph Moretti's Color Shifting Dark Lavender

This has been my experience photographing the gorgeous color shifting color known as Moretti Dark Lavender T-081.

I've been playing around with a color shifting glass lately called Dark Lavender.  I also made some Pale Lavender.  Then there is another one called Lavendar Blue Pink - Rose which I should have made but got carried away and forgot.

I made some dark lavender and pale lavender handmade lampwork glass beads along with getting carried away and making a slew of other colors with a similar pattern.  I was in the process of taking photos indoors under my daylight bulbs.  I must say that I was a little frustrated because I couldn't get the color to show the shift while taking numerous photos.  When I was finished photographing them and turned the lights off.  Wow! There it was! The shift!  The natural light coming in through the sliding door hit the beads and there it was the beautiful pinkish violet blue.  Indoor lighting was keeping the colors a more lavender pale blue which is beautiful in itself also.  But the natural light enhanced this magnificent change.



You can see the beautiful pale lavender blue color in the photo on the left.  It was taken indoors using daylight bulbs in my studio.  The photo on the right shows the same beads taken outdoors in the shade under my cypress tree.  The photo below shows a picture of the same beads also taken outside in natural light using the background of my cypress tree bark.  It shows how different beads can look using different background colors.



I really like this photo, a lot. In case you are wondering what color all the different beads are, I have them listed below.  I began on the left side and worked my way around counter clockwise.

Beads 1,2,3, 5, 6 and 7 dark lavender (big shift and very noticeable)
Bead 4 transparent pale blue
Beads 6 and 9 pale lavender (very small subtle shift due to the pale color)
Beads 10 and 15 clear
Bead 11 yellow green
Bead 12 pale emerald green
Bead 13 rose quartz
Bead 14 peachy pink (I think)
Bead 16 Raku under clear
Bead 17 Medium amber

 I had fun making all these different color beads, but now I have to take pictures of the smaller hole dark and light lavender beads which is similar to the large hole beads above.  I'll post more pictures as I have time to get them done.

I don't know if it has been other lampwork artists experience, but this is what I observed and thought some of you may enjoy reading about my experience with this unique transparent glass called Dark Lavender.

Oblong Transparent Pale Emerald Green With Silver Lampwork Bead

Look at this beautiful transparent pale emerald green oblong lampwork focal bead.  It would make a wonderful necklace pendant!  It is here in my Etsy store.

Handmade Sky Blue Lampwork Bead Dangle Earrings With Sterling Silver

Creamy sky blue handmade lampwork glass beads made into an adorable and stylish pair of sterling silver earrings in my Artfire shop.  Great to wear for office attire, a night on the town or to the movies inyour favorite pair of jeans.