Stretch

_{(please click image for full view)}

Title: Stretch
Artist: AJGlass
Image created by: AJGlass using an Epson Perfection 1200U scanner and PhotoShop.
Medium: Glass
Type: Soft Glass (this means it’s not borosilicate)
Description: Glass Bead

Details: The dime is provided for scale of the glass bead. White and dark red glasses were used to create this bead. All AJGlass beads have been properly annealed. Due to the differences in monitor settings, the colors of this bead may look slightly lighter, slightly darker, or otherwise different on your monitor than the bead itself. The very bright white line on this bead is a light reflection. The dime is not for sale.

Status: SOLD
Item: One handmade, white and dark red glass bead.
Price: $20.00 + $4 S&H (or $5 S&H outside of the continental United States).
Contact: Please note me if you are interested in purchasing this bead.
Payment: PayPal. Other payment options may also be accepted.
Shipping: I ship beads via US Post in packaging suitable for glass beads.
Delivery: Please allow one week for delivery, longer for international orders. Weather permitting, I try and ship the following business day after payment has been received and cleared. Beads will be shipped with delivery confirmation when possible.

Discussion: I think that this bead would make an interesting focal piece for a necklace and that it would also make a very unique subject for a wire wrapping project. This bead is long and would probably look best hung vertically rather than horizontally. There are a few very tiny bubble depressions on this bead where bubbles have formed and popped, leaving tiny circular dimples. These depressions do not detract from the bead’s overall appearance. Unfortunately, bubbles are often unavoidable when mixing glass and in fact, many opaque glass rods contain small bubbles in them which are nearly impossible to remove. Please understand that this bead is created from glass, and like all glass it can chip or break if dropped/thrown/crushed or otherwise abused. This bead is NOT suitable for small children, and is NOT edible. It may pose a choking hazard if swallowed.

Creation: To create this bead, half of a rod of dark red glass was melted onto a bead-release-coated mandrel and formed into a round bead. A quarter of a rod of white glass was then carefully melted and mixed into the dark red glass to form alternating red and white swirls. The swirled molten glass was then rolled on a graphite marver to achieve a cylindrical shape. Then the mandrel holding the newly formed cylinder was turned on a 90 degree angle in the torch flame and half of the cylinder was melted and allowed to slowly flow down the mandrel’s length stretching out the alternating stripes as it flowed. The now-bone-shaped cylinder end was then allowed to stiffen.

The mandrel holding the cylinder was then turned 180 degrees and the other half of the cylinder was melted and allowed to slowly creep down the mandrel’s length in the opposite direction from the other end – further stretching out the alternating stripes. The now completed bone-shaped bead was then allowed to stiffen once more. This bead was then placed directly into a kiln to be annealed. This was done to prevent thermal shock because big long beads are more prone to cracking than smaller ones.

Further comment: This bead is not symmetrical – each end is angled at a different degree – and the bead hole does not go directly through the center but is instead a bit off-center When the bead was melted to form the bone shape, the white glass melted and creeped down the mandrel faster than the red glass. This is due to the difference in properties between the two glasses – the red glass is a far stiffer glass than the white is. Areas of the bead which contained more white glass flowed faster than areas which contained more red glass, leading to uneven bead ends and an off-center bead hole.

I could have corrected these issues with a bit more marvering and shaping but I liked the stretched red and white lines so much that I didn’t want to risk ruining them. So I guess I’ll just call this bead “organic” and say that I purposefully meant for it to look like this. Yeah, sounds like a plan. I am pleased to be able offer this bead for sale online. Note me if you are interested in purchasing it. It really would make for a nice piece of wearable art.

Guarantee: I will do everything that I can to make sure that you are satisfied with your purchase. So if you are not satisfied with this bead for any reason, please return it prepaid in its original condition and in its original packaging for a full refund. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the purchaser. Please request return authorization in advance.

Legal: Copyright © Aaron J. Greenblatt. All rights reserved. Commercial use prohibited. This image and commentary may not be used for any reason without the expressed written consent of Aaron J. Greenblatt.


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