Happy Economy to you! money and art beads MICHIGAN CATCH UP!

What goes into the Glass ART BEAD.  Why do we pay hundreds of dollars for art beads? What are they really worth?

That is subjective, and I am not going to tell you what it is worth.   You have to figure it out. Is it based on your cost of living, or mine? HM!

Glass Beads are made with the natural elements that surround us. Essentially, you are making art with essence.   You need to know how to control malleability and viscosity, all at one time. And, the entire time you use AIR, FIRE, WATER, and parts from the EARTH.  Nature is your medium. These beads are made out of the same exact material as Amethyst, rose quartz, obsidian, all that beautiful stuff. We mix quartz!

Full circle: Man mines the earth, man separates the particles, and we mix it together in a compatible formula. (After MANY experiments, and tests…we are little scientists.) We heat it with fire that is made with gas and oxygen, cool it with water, and mix your oxides in there…essentially earth…

Loves me, Loves me not? You never know...

This bead took me

• 17 years (1991 to 2008)  of figurative sculpture practice (5 in college, and 10/11 on the side of my “real” job, 1 year at just doing the art full time), And! Glass itself, I have spent what rounds out to be about 3 years at 20 to 30 hours a week on a minor or a barracuda torch melting glass.
• After materials are made, I spent 1 hour making this actual bead. 
• The glass cost is approx. $5.00 – $10.00. 
• Gas would be around $.50 or $1.00 per hour (I fill a proPAIN tank 2 times a month at $19.00 each-+)
• Ebay will charge me $5.35 for this listing if it sells, that is a Buy it now option for $39.99.  (If the work does not sell, I pay 55 cents.  Past auctions have ended in the $50.00-$60.00 range for this particular piece (this is the third of its kind)

Advertisement- I can not afford. So, I try this blogging thing (an art in itself), and I really NEVER use my mailing list, so I need to hire some staff 😉 YOU SHOULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY low prices! Times are tough!

Happy economy to you! Enjoy luxurious October sales ahead of us. –  Ebay (as little as $9.99…), Etsy, my site, Lampwork etc…

 

Something to think about-

Did you know, it was illegal in some parts of the world to teach someone the secrets of working glass? The art is lost at times of war, and re-discovered hundred of years later….something very special about this glass.