Patti of Coventry, Connecticut, incorporates a wide range of materials into her jewelry. Some of her pins are fashioned from slate or beach stones, then hand painted and transformed into images of animals, New England-style homes, barns, and shops. Ya gotta see these... Her glazed clay pendants are made from earthenware clay and impressed with objects found in nature, then bisque fired, glazed, then refired. Quite a process.
Patti, also a Hospice Chaplin, loves to use sea glass in many of her creations and believes this glass is an inspiration to her patients. She says, "Like each of us, pieces of glass travel on a singular journey. And over time, the glass is tossed about in raging seas, through dark and lonely nights, carrying the hope of each new day. Against all odds, it is eventually transformed into something more beautiful than it was when its journey began." That's a nice way of looking at it...
Did you know that perforated beads fashioned from snail shells, dating back 75,000 years, were found in Africa? And in Kenya, beads made from the egg shells of ostriches were being used 40,000 years ago! Apparently people have enjoyed adorning themselves since the beginning of time as we know it.
Pat of Tolland, Connecticut is fascinated with dichroic glass, understandably so since the beauty in the results of this process is hard to describe. Dichroic glass dates back to the 4th century, AD. What is unique about this process is what comes out of making it. Ready? Multi ultra-thin layers of different metals (gold, silver), metal oxides and silica are vaporized by an electron beam in a vacuum chamber. The vapor then condenses on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. Still with me? This is sometimes followed by a protective layer of quartz crystal. I'll stop here because I don't want to lose you, but you get the point -- it's an intricate process. Pat designs and produces all of her high quality pins, earrings and pendants, which transmit completely different reflective colors as wave lengths of light either pass through, or are reflected when the angle of view changes. The effect is unbelievable.
Glass has been used in the making of jewelry throughout time. In ancient Egypt 3,000 to 5,000 years ago the Egyptians had glass formulations to mimic all of the gemstones. The Greeks added their jewels to molds and then filled them with poured glass. Advanced glass techinques created by Venetian glass masters have developed a wide range of glass jewelry. Murano glass and Murano beads started their popularity back in the 13th century.
Laura, Denise and Michele of Brooklyn, Connecticut were guided by destiny and their talents collided when they came together to make jewelry. Laura has a fondness for making vintage lockets, among her many talents. Denise enjoys working in stained glass repair and restoration in addition to her love for creating beads using the lampworking process. Michele also likes to work with stained glass as well as making glass beads, and leaves her own signature on beads that set them apart from those of her sister, Denise.
Their handmade creations range from handsewn neckbands, bubble bead pendants, and twist bangle braclets to pendants featuring lampwork beads and Swarovski clear crystals. I am amazed at how a delicate little glass rose flower can be fashioned to include tiny purple and pink "budlets." I've always heard the expression "two heads are better than one," but three heads... look out...these gals are turning out keepsakes.
Jimmy Halloran is Co-Owner of ConnecticutHandiworks.com, an online retailer featuring handcrafted items made in Connecticut
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