This bead was going along swimmingly for the first half, but when I touched the glass to the release to start the second half, the glass pulled the release right off the mandrel. I was using several-day-old super-easy-releasing release, so this sort thing happens.

Effetre cornelian glass, 2009. 3/32 mandrel, pixie dust.

So, what to do with the bead? Well, I thought about my Japanese spider web beads, and put some of that on. Then I figured, what about swooping wings, covered in Doug Remschneider's class? So I added those on.

Alternate view.

It didn't break in the pin polisher, which bangs the beads against each other fairly aggressively, and I liked the way the color shifted throughout the bead—the only orangey tone I was able to get out of my cornelian at all, which persisted in striking a very pretty cotton candy pink, most of the time.

I think this is a fun, whimisical bead. It's probably as close as I get to have a sense of humor in my glasswork.

photo 04may09, file 06may09 (bead around 02may...?)

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