The czech soda lime “tourmaline” which I call fuscia is one of the great glass colors. Seed beads are barely available in this luscious color, unless dyed; in fact austrian crystals are the only other beads that really match it, and they're notoriously expensive.

It's also, in my opinion, the most difficult soda lime color to strike. Too bushy a flame renders brings greyish scum (Pb, I'm assuming) to the surface; too oxidizing a flame and it likely won't strike; and the kind of heat I typically use to make hollow beads usually burns the color out. It can be restruck, but I've never done it except by accident.

But it's worth it, for that glorious, intense blue-based fuscia!

Sometimes, however, one desires a little softness, as in ‘pastels for spring’. Subtlety is not my strong suit, but I do try.

Unless otherwise noted, text, image and objects depicted therein copyright 1996--present sylvus tarn.