Ocean Bead by
Susan Shahinian

Congratulations to member Susan Shahinian on her work being included in the 2006 Collectible Bead Calendar!

For the demo at our July 2005 meeting, Susan created a PMC embellished lamp worked glass bead.

Susan began with a lamp worked glass bead created using Moretti glass. First, she roughened the ends of the bead with a grinding attachment on a Dremel or Flex shaft tool. This gave the clay a better surface adhesion.

The PMC was rolled into coils and applied to the glass with PMC paste. After the clay was dry, any clay residue that remained on the glass was removed with needle tools, denatured alcohol, and a soft cloth.

The bead was then fired to 1100 degrees for 45 minutes. After firing, the silver was brushed with a brass brush and the bead tumbled with stainless steel shot. Liver of sulfur could be used for patination, if desired.