I'm borrowing Sue's necklace for a bit to talk about control. No, not self control, but heat.

I have dabbled in borosilicate (aka Boro) going on about 5 years. Not seriously for most of it, as my torch couldn't melt it with gusto... but, that's OK, as I've never really EVER been a big bead kinda gal.

I started slowly. Winding the glass in pre-pulled stringers of clear boro - I think they were 3mm, maybe 2? I'd feed them through the flame, and catch them on the mandrel as they came out the other side. S L O W L Y... it made for very precise and beautifully uniform beads. Then I stepped out of my comfort zone and started using a gorgeous boro glass called Blue Moon.

Working from the standard size rod (diameter of around maybe (8-9mm) I'd feed and pull to the smaller diameter as I went - watching as the color struck and the bead diameter grew. I love this look, and toyed for quite awhile trying to figure out how to showcase the sides of a bead - and not the visible edge you would see if strung conventionally right through the hole. This is what came about. I am thrilled. There is no hardware to tarnish, and not cold metal - heck, no sensitivity to allergies even! I remember selling it with the added bonus that one could even put it through the dishwasher, although I secretly hope one doesn't.

I absolutely love what I do, I'm going on 16 1/2 years now and I confess to gleefully skipping to my torch sessions as if it were perhaps a newly acquired love..... smiles, Jill