Cannot figure this out
 

Hi all. I saw this piece on Pinterest and would love to know how to get the little dots of silver on the pendant. Silvered Ivory? Silvered black?

If anyone knows; please help.

Thanks in Advance

Purr-Sonalities Glass Art
Kat

Wrapping fine silver wire around a bead and then heating it in will make little integrated silver beads like that. From the pattern it looks like it's possible that this was done here.

It's also possible this is also done with silvered stringer, as you mentioned. That might be enough silver to raise dots like this!

I am gonna play today since we have a storm in the making. I don't have any wire but will try with the stringers first.

Any suggestions for a supplier of fine silver wire? 24 guage?

Always enjoy posting questions here on LE...

Thanks for your help!!!

Kat

That's fine silver wire, probably 30 or 32 gauge and heated until it forms up into little beads. My preferred source is www.riogrande.com, where you can get it for a very reasonable price. A one-ounce reel of 32 gauge goes a long way.

Thank you Robin. Do you wrap the wire around your pendant and then spot heat or heat the end of the wire and apply to the bead?

I purchase from Rio often...love their customer service.

Thanks for helping.

Purr-Sonalities Glass Art
Kat

I wrap the wire around the bead and then just roll the whole thing in the flame--it forms those little beads all by itself. Spot heating the end of the wire doesn't really work at that fine a gauge. The molten ends will either fume away or drip off onto the bench, and either way the wire itself will burn your hand. Silver is very heat-conductive, so heat the bead, touch one end of the wire piece to the hot glass to anchor it, wrap quickly while out of the flame (preferably holding the free end of the wire with tweezers or hemostat) and then reheat gently to get that beading-up action.
Also, if you're using cobalt blue transparent, Hades, or another reactive color, try using a reducing flame (more propane than oxy), which might get you some interesting colors.

For those who might want to try fine silver wire on a very small, inexpensive scale. Jamey Lynn (howacoglass.com) sells it in 6-foot lengths. You also can buy single rods of each color to see whether you like them enough to spend a lot more.

There are also sellers on etsy & ebay who carry it.

Memories
 

Gosh that bead brings back memories! I remember trying to make one like it and it actually turned out OK! (shock!:)) Apparently someone else liked it too because that's the last time I ever saw it. :-/

This is now going on my list of beads to make.
Thanks for sharing!

monsterslayer usually has the best price for fine silver wire.

Maybe you would be better off figuring this out on your own versus asking others. You would learn a lot more that way and you would be developing a technique and style unique to you. This really is the difference between success as an artist working in any medium.

I just stumbled upon this: https://www.mountainglass.com/Silver...-Foot-18-Gauge
$4.50 a foot.

I had never heard of Monsterslayer so I did a search for it. Looks like a great find!

Monsterslayer is the best! Have ordered from them for years.