For general information, please scroll down!
GALLERIES:
Glass Beads
Glass beads made by myself on a HotHead propane torch, properly annealed
in a variety of sizes and shapes. most of them part of my private collection or given away.
Lentil Beads
Lentil Beads, approx. 1" in diameter and 1/2" in height
most beads are given away and can't be exactly reproduced. click to enlarge.
Pillow Beads
Pillow Beads, approx. 7/8" from corner to corner
most beads are given away and can't be exactly reproduced. click to enlarge. unfortunately it is NOT POSSIBLE to remake kaleidoscope patterns such as "pink / black", "cottage", "tangerine dream" etc. it's only possible to make another kaleidoscope pattern in similar colors - sorry.
Other Bead Shapes
Beads in a variety of shapes and sizes - click to enlarge. all of them are given away and can't be exactly reproduced.
Completed jewelry
Some of them were given away as presents, some sold, other ones are part of my "private" collection (click to enlarge).
jewelery upon request: please contact me via eMail: swissbeads [nospam] bluewin.ch (replace [nospam] with your @-key).
Online Shop
If "Online Shop" appears in the navigation menu to the left, I've got some beads for sale.
FASCINATION POLYMER CLAY
Did you ever ...
... play with polymer clay when you were a child? Your "objects of art" were hardened in mom's household oven and you would have shown them proudly to your friends and familiy. This "children's toy" turned out to be also an immensely versatile artist's medium.
It can ...
... be combined and embellished with various other materials and inclusions such as metal leafing, pearly powders, embossing powders, highly saturated inks, acrylic or oil colors and even spices or sand. This way a million more possibilities are opened to create different effects. Polymer clay can be made to look like wood, metal, semiprecious gemstones, abalone, and many more.
I prefer ...
... FIMO classic and American brands such as Kato and Premo!Sculpey. Due to their firmness they are perfect for creating intricate and fine patterns which won't be distorted when reducing canes and applying the patterns to beads and other surfaces. After the "firing process" in the household oven items are sanded with 3-7 different grits of sandpaper, then either polished to a soft silky shine or coated with glossy varnish (normally used for floors).
As beads are my passion I mainly create beads for my own use or to sell. All of them are made by me with my own self constructed canes. Most colors are mixed and I never write down the recepies to keep my beads unique. I use them to create jewelry for myself or friends and relatives and about twice a year I attend fairs to show and sell my work. As I love experimenting, there are also pens, pillboxes, keychains - and sooo many plans and ideas in my mind - this seems to be a never-ending story. It's simply fascinating to explore all the various possibilities this wonderful and versatile medium offers.
Caution - working with polymer clay may lead to serious addiction!
If that remark had been written on the very first package of polymer clay I opened in late 2002, I would have kept my hands off it *smile*!
No, seriously - I have been trying to craft with polymer clay already some years ago. Here in Switzerland only Fimo Classic was available those times and so it turned out to be a short love story. In the meantime I explored as many crafts as I could, including pottery, water color, drawing, jewelry making, acrylic painting, knitting, batik, enameling, painting on porcelaine and more.
15 years later, in late 2002 I stumbled across an article in a newspaper: "how to create a decorative candle holder with Fimo Soft". it was addressed to children - polymer clay is mainly regarded as a childrens toy in Switzerland, not as a crafters medium. My curiousity was roused and so I bought some Fimo Soft and tried to create the candle holder. It turned out to be a desaster - but what followed, was sort of mysterious! Playing around with the leftovers in translucent, red and black suddenly some BEADS formed themselves magically between my fingers and palms. THAT was it, creating my own beads, how exciting! of course they were desastrous too, but it was too late - I was already hooked up.
Searching the Internet I found tons of information about polymer clay and beadmaking in English. I'm seriously thankful to all the people who generously share their experiences. Without them I wouldn't be where I am today with my knowledge about polymer clay. After millions of steps this path still leads on and on and on... Due to my "joy of experimenting" and "constant short time funds" my patterns are unique and in most cases the quantity is just enough for ONE set of beads. To provide best quality to my customers I now use mainly Kato polymer clay (bought in the USA).
Creating beads became my passion. My "structured side" is always fighting my "wild side" - that's reflected in my work. there are either strictly geometrical patterns which I love to combine with pillow or tile beads or then rather unstructured colorful patterns with lots of pearl colors and metal leaf - those I love to combine with lentil or round beads.
