Lampwork Corsages - Elegant, Complex, Unique!

I've made the leap into complex creations, making lampwork corsages.  Each takes two or more days to make, and has dozens of pieces all forged together in the flame.  Each corsage is made on a long, curved bead that acts as a "twig" and echos our natural neckline.  I'm selling most of these as single beads (the buyer can decide if they want to string them on a simple cord or go for a bolder look with a gold or silver chain) but I've hand-crocheted wire necklaces for a few, too. 

Many cloth corsages are expensive, have a short life and limited fashion use. My glass corsages are cheaper than many handmade cloth corsages and, if you treat them well, will last forever and will look gorgeous and appropriate with almost anything you might wear (dislaimer - these probably would look pretty silly if worn with a wet suit or an animal costume).

From handcoloring and pulling canes for the vines, to sculpting the petals and flowers and putting them together, I LOVE doing this!!  It's all a little complex and nervewracking to construct the corsage but wonderfully satisfying to open my lampworking kiln at the end of the day to see the results.

My lampwork corsages are listed as individual beads on Stringything.

Lampwork corsages paired with my handmade wire necklaces are listed on JesterJewelry.

Did you know?
Borosilicate glass, aka boro, is familiar to  most of us as Pyrex.  It's the hardest glass available.  Art boro is colored with metals and minerals, and many of the colors have a rich dose of silver.  As we work it in the flame, the gas and O2 from our torch brings out different colors.  Results are always unpredictable, and that's all part of the fun! 

The photos:

• (Top of page) Clarisse, on a simple leather lace.
• (Below) Beatrice, from the front.  A leafy vine spirals around a golden twig, leading your eye to the flower.
• (Middle) Beatrice, from the back.  You can see the vine and twig much better in this view.
• (Bottom) Anastasia, from the front.  A gorgeous rose surrounded by a multitude of leaves.  No thorns on this corsage!  Anastasia's "twig" is violet and purple.