The touchable and warm appearance of the this slip-cast ceramic bead gets its matte texture from a decorative technique known as "sawdust firing" or "sawdust smoking" used in ceramic pottery. With this method, beads or other ceramics are placed inside a perforated drum, which is filled with sawdust. The sawdust is then ignited at the top of the drum and allowed to smoulder down to the bottom of the drum, during which the heat and smoke from the sawdust create permanent coloring and patterns on the ceramic surface of the bead, creating a finished product unlike anything else seen in hot kiln and glaze applications.
This lantern-shaped bead made me think of what the stone howlite would look like if it had been etched. Considering the organic nature and touchable texture, this focal bead from Mary Harding Jewelry called for something equally matte; something with a blurred finish, a smooth, yet unpolished texture, and the look of soft fur. The howlite beads in my stash, and those I found on-line, all seemed to have been poished within an inch of their lives, and I was not comfortable with my sanpaper handling techniques.
So, in a moment of desperation, I decided to experiement and give one tiny howlite bead a dip in my glass etching cream, just to see. The howlite required about an hour of soaking time in the etching cream, as opposed to glass, which usually takes about 5 minutes, but it turned out with that same wonderfully satin finish found on the sawdust fired ceramic bead surface.
I chose to add some glimmer using the right shades of Swarovski crystal, and since this article originally appeared, there's been a few new shades introduced, including Moonlight, Silver Shade, and Light Gray Opal, any of which would be wonderful with this set. I am also quite taken by the Swarovski beads in the color Light Sapphire AB2X, which means that the surface of the bead has been coated with the Aurora Borealis effect on all surfaces instead of just half of the bead surfaces. It completely changes the transmission of color from the bead, creating an entirely new bead color. This particular shade is incredible, and would really work well with this ceramic bead. The lampwork spacer beads, handmade by Dave at River Oaks Acres Beads, will give the right amount of solid support to the final necklace.
This lantern-shaped bead made me think of what the stone howlite would look like if it had been etched. Considering the organic nature and touchable texture, this focal bead from Mary Harding Jewelry called for something equally matte; something with a blurred finish, a smooth, yet unpolished texture, and the look of soft fur. The howlite beads in my stash, and those I found on-line, all seemed to have been poished within an inch of their lives, and I was not comfortable with my sanpaper handling techniques.
So, in a moment of desperation, I decided to experiement and give one tiny howlite bead a dip in my glass etching cream, just to see. The howlite required about an hour of soaking time in the etching cream, as opposed to glass, which usually takes about 5 minutes, but it turned out with that same wonderfully satin finish found on the sawdust fired ceramic bead surface.
I chose to add some glimmer using the right shades of Swarovski crystal, and since this article originally appeared, there's been a few new shades introduced, including Moonlight, Silver Shade, and Light Gray Opal, any of which would be wonderful with this set. I am also quite taken by the Swarovski beads in the color Light Sapphire AB2X, which means that the surface of the bead has been coated with the Aurora Borealis effect on all surfaces instead of just half of the bead surfaces. It completely changes the transmission of color from the bead, creating an entirely new bead color. This particular shade is incredible, and would really work well with this ceramic bead. The lampwork spacer beads, handmade by Dave at River Oaks Acres Beads, will give the right amount of solid support to the final necklace.