The art of the bead

- September 27, 2020

Looking back post

I discovered the art of lamp work beads in early 2005 and fell head over heels in love.

Ask anyone who melts glass, it's an addiction that becomes an integral part of your life.

I began to sell loose beads to jewelry designers online and named my little business 'SweetWater' Designs as a tribute to my childhood roots.

The year I turned 14 my father did something some people just think about doing. He left a secure 9-5 job and a home that he and my mother had built with their own sweat on the very lovely Vancouver Island to follow his dream of owning his own ranch.
Promising us adventure and lots of 'crunchy' snow, (Icy, cold snow is much different than the slush that falls on Vancouver Island) he packed up his family of eight and moved us from our home to 2400 acres of pristine land on a remote northern corner of British Columbia, ~a land known for its Prairie, the Boreal Forest the Rocky Mountains and the mighty Peace River, one of the longest river systems in Canada.

There was an underground stream of crystal clear water that bubbled year round out of the earth and because of that, my father (who was an avid Louis L'Amour reader) named our ranch, the 'SweetWater'.

My father was a constant encouragement to his children and I like to imagine that he continues to watch over and take pride in our accomplishments and 𝕒𝕕𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕤!

Dad about 12 yrs riding a cow on their farm in Manitoba, Canada

Dad in his later years with his favorite riding horse, Carson. [named for Kit Carson]

Flash forward a few years now and I still love every single minute of burning the glass.

A bead begins as a rod of raw glass that is melted in the flame and coiled onto a clay coated steel mandrel.

I've begun to add metals to the mix and my little studio is over flowing with solder, glass, hammers and torches. It's does not cease to fascinate and I hope to be melting glass and creating jewelry well into my old lady years. :-)