Starting to get some new jewellery ready for @tartscollective. These recycled glass bead bracelets will be heading there on Saturday when I get to work in the shop for the day. I love how these bracelets have a mix of beads made from different bottles, and using different techniques to make them. Lots of fun.
There are lots of limitations to what I can do with recycled glass, but I still love working with all sorts of recycled glass objects, because the colours can be so beautiful. And sometimes showing the contrast between the shiny and the etched glass beads is all that is needed, simple but stunning.
Two popular “green” earrings are made from Tanqueray gin and Moet champagne bottles. Which one is your favourite?
It’s a bit of a process going from an empty Bombay Sapphire gin bottle, to being able to use the glass to make beads…but it’s worth it for the beautiful jewellery.
A small collection of recycled glass earrings heading over to the Yorke Peninsula, to my home town of Yorketown! Peesey Pantry is a combined tea room and emporium of goods, many of them handmade and local to Yorkes. Well worth a visit if you are over there.
Autumn is my favourite season, and these are some of my favourite beads to make, using gold leaf on Coopers Ale beer bottles makes a timeless, classic pair of earrings.
I love making these necklaces! And I am keeping this one for me. It features all sorts of recycled glass beads from all of my favourite glass bottles and objects. I am going to wear it to @adlfringe festivities today, probably doubled, but I love that I can also wear it as a single long necklace or even tripled for a completely different look. Four similar style necklaces are at @pepper_street_arts_centre as part of their Fringe exhibition featuring all sorts of art from recycled objects.
Hopefully this short video helps to explain the process of making recycled glass beads. Let me know if you have any questions!
One of the most common questions I get asked about my recycled glass beads is – how do I get the holes in the beads? Hopefully this photo helps to answer that question. These beads have come out of the kiln and the next step in the process is to take them off the mandrel (stainless steel rod) and, yes, that’s when you get to see the hole. After that I have to clean the bead release out of the holes. This lot will take several hours to clean.
Mismatched earrings are always fun to make and wear!