Daystar Designs - An Archive Of Lampwork Glass Beads

Latticino/Twistie Pendants

These are my BABIES!! Each one takes so much preparation, time. . .and marvering!! (I am grateful to Caitlyn Hyde for my marvering skills.) I start by pulling a large selection of twisted canes, also known as latticino. I also prepare lots of ivory stringer that has been coated with pure silver, and clear encased goldstone. After laying down and shaping a base bead, the latticino, twisties, silver stringer, goldstone stringer, etc. etc., are carefully melted and laid onto the surface, and then slowly melted and marvered, and melted and marvered in. Marvering is when you roll the bead against the surface of a graphite paddle; it's what shapes the bead. Heat and shape, heat and shape. In some cases, I super heat a spot, insert a cold, tiny piece of glass, and twist. . .which pulls the glass into a little spiral. I love these beads!! And they feel so wonderful to the touch. . .

Murrini:

Here are a couple of examples of what murrini is all about. You build up this layered piece and then pull it out. With the face I built an eye, a nose and a set of lips, all separately. Each one takes a while - and you can't stop rotating that wonkin piece of glass in the flame or it will blow apart!! Then you put all those pieces together, swiping the flesh colored glass in between, and doing alot of shaping. When it's all done, you pull it out into a cane. You can cut short pieces, heat it up, and pull it out even smaller. (Check out the tiny face. . .) With the fish, I made the eye, then built the rest of the fish around it. It's an amazing process, and one in which I'm looking forward to spending more time with in the future. In the last photo you'll see some tab beads with little slices of the fish murrini in them, and a bead with a little star murrini that I made.