Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads

Last year, Bead and Button Magazine collaborated with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) to bring us Convergence: Contemporary Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads. The works that were juried into the show represented some of the most innovative jewelry designs combining beadweaving, stringing and wirework with handmade art glass beads. The ISGB took the accepted works and showed them at three different locations in the U.S., and Bead and Button chose twenty of the pieces to publish in their special issue, "Jewelry Designs with Art Glass Beads".

As they do in Bead and Button Magazine, the projects in this issue cover a wide range of techniques, including bead weaving and stitching, bead embroidery, basic metal smithing, and wire work. Some of the most well-known glass beadmakers are represented in this body of work, including Kristen Frantzen-Orr, Lisa St. Martin and Jeri Warhaftig.

Even if you aren't familiar with some of the techniques used, the pieces showcased in this issue are fabulous eye candy, and the use of colors by these artists is truly inspiring. Many of the projects use basic beadweaving techniques to create beaded jewelry with a distinctly artistic modern flair.

Priced at $9.95, this special issue is available for pre-order on the Bead & Button store website and will be in bookstores and newsstands at the end of October 2009.