Making A bEAD

The process of beadmaking with captions below each image. Each stage in beadmaking requires temperature control and a feel for how each colour behaves in the flame.

The first winds of molten black glass around the mandrel to create the base bead
Second wind of glass, building the bead up in layers.
Third wind of glass around the disc. Building up the base bead gradually.
Final winds of glass, ready to be melted into the base bead shape.
Melting the disc into the base bead for the layers of decoration.
First phase of multi-layered dots. Ivory glass creating the base layer.
Careful alignment of the dots creates a symmetrical layout for the following decorative dots.
Adding more ivory glass dots of varying sizes, ready for melting flush with the surface of the black glass base bead.
Slowly heating the raised ivory glass dots, preparing to melt them flush with the base bead.
Melting the ivory glass flush with the base bead. Next up, turquoise glass dots.
First dots of turquoise glass on top of the ivory glass dots.
More turquoise glass dots being added.
Heating the turquoise glass dots to put equal heat into the whole bead to prevent thermal shock.
All turquoise glass dots melted flush. The brownish line between the ivory and turquoise glass is a chemical reaction between the colourants of the two glass dots.
Final layer of dots, coral glass on the turquoise dots.
Adding the final coral glass dots.
Melting the layers of beads to meld the layers together.
A final step, making the dots follow the surface tension of the bead, creating a twisted effect on the surface.
A final application of heat to create a stable and cohesive bead before annealing it in the kiln.
The progress of the dotted bead.