JillSymons

I love all the different shapes that the presses allow - and getting nicely squared edges without the distortion of the design is the 'goal'... but no matter how lovely the bead - it's incredibly hard to photograph them AND give them the honor due for being a beautiful bead. (I will search my archives though and try to find a photograph that utilizes the shadow that was thrown - as it shows how sharp the corners are and straight the lines.) These show much MUCH better in person - unfortunately, for most of my sales are online. Very pretty though!
I found some more images while I was hunting for the one above... so - the show continues...This bead is called "Portals" because the large droplets of clear act to amplify what's underneath... and sometimes the view into the bead has to be sought - and what better to look through, than these viewing portals. Love this look, and I do have four additional that I made - if you're interested in owning one - just email me!
My love affair with R4 glass continues... this pendant shown above has some of the most glorious swirls and also - the most beautifully executed color transformation of this R4 glass. Neat, eh?

AND finally - the last one - "Ventana" meaning windows - it was reminiscent of a window I saw on the island of Murano. It looked as if the glass were just slices from some large glass cane. I left the chill marks on the beads - as they really seemed to add so much to the design.

OK, one more - these are my firs beads ever. Note how many were burned, cracked right in two - lopsided or what. I shake my head now... but I was darn proud of them... uh, about 11 years ago.