Welcome to the beginning of fall!

I know a lot of people love fall. I enjoy the colors and smells - and the crisp feel of fresh air in the mornings. But overall, I am sad to see fall arrive. I am a spring and summer person; I love longer days, warmth and plenty of sunshine. Fall tells me that winter is not far behind. I am not a fan of getting up in the dark and going to bed in the dark - and having dark gray skies in between. Fortunately, here in the Pacific Northwest we are lucky to often have late summery weather well into September and sometimes even early October so I will enjoy that while I can!

Barbara Kay Jewelry News

Since my last show, I've been working mainly on custom pieces for people. But I have managed to finish two pendants that I began a long time ago, and have a couple that are close to being finished.

I am also VERY behind with adding things to my shop. None of the jewelry pictured in this issue has been listed yet, although I hope to work on that over the next few weeks. If at any time you see something in this newsletter that you are interested in learning more about (price, size, etc.) and you don't see it in my shop, please send me an email.

Next local event: Clark County Open Studios Tour. November 1-2 in my studio. There are 50 other artists participating - click here to see all of their work: Studio Tour Artists. The preview show, where you can see an example of every artist's work, will be held on the first Friday of October (Oct. 3rd, 5 -8 pm at Art at the Cave Gallery, 108 East Evergreen Blvd, Vancouver, WA 98660). If you are local, this is a great chance to start planning your tour! This is the pendant I will be showing at the preview show, along with a pair of octopus earrings. I am currently still working on a chain for the pendant, but have finished the clasp.

Another page to explore on my website: Creative Musings​

One of the reasons I write this newsletter is because I love to write. I was an English teacher before I began creating jewelry, and writing especially was my joy - both teaching and doing. This newsletter provides one writing avenue for me; another avenue can be found on my website, on the page called (at this time anyway): Creative Musings. This is technically the Blog page of my website, but I really wasn't writing a blog so I changed the name. I am not sure I'm happy with Creative Musings as a title, though, and am open to any ideas and suggestions you might have!

The page began with a story idea I had while making a pendant with a beautiful Tiger Plume Agate. That story was the first, and can be found on the bottom of the posts. It is called The Love Story of Tiger and Wisp. A few others followed - all inspired by and/or featuring jewelry that I was working on at the time of writing. The last one I wrote was about a very special fox; it is called Dream Dancers.

If you read it, you will notice it was posted way back in January of 2022. What happened?? I am not quite sure, but I am feeling the urge to get back to some creative writing. You can help! Challenge me!! If you see one of my pendants (or other piece of jewelry) that deserves a story, let me know. I will accept your challenge and that may be the next story I publish.

Stone of the Month: Czech Glass Beads

This month I am exploring something a little different. When I use cabochons in my metal-smithed work, I usually work with natural semi-precious stones. But sometimes I like a break from metal-smithing and then I enjoy working with beads. Of course, I can use semi-precious stone beads, but I also love working with glass, and my glass of choice is Czech glass.

Although boundaries have shifted over time, the general area now known as the Czech Republic was originally known as Bohemia. The Bohemian region has been known for their high quality glass for centuries. Evidence of glass beads made by the Celts in this area have been found dating to the third century BCE. It is likely that the glass for these very early beads was not made by the Celts; rather that they traded for the glass, and then re-melted and shaped it.

Actual glass making began sometime in the Middle Ages. During this time, churches and cathedrals began using stained glass in their windows, creating a demand. Glass makers in the area also began producing other items, such as bowls and drinking vessels. And of course, beads. These were at first primarily used to make rosaries. Beads that looked like Rose Quartz were some of the first that had a growing demand outside the region.

The Bohemian region was perfect for making glass. Quartz, which could be ground down and used as a silica base, was abundant in the mountains. Extensive forests offered plenty of wood for the furnaces used to melt the glass; the wood ash was then also used as potash which was an important ingredient in Czech glass. The many rivers and streams in the area provided water power.

In the 1500s glass beading became quite a large industry. Beaded costume jewelry had become fashionable and popular, especially in the cities. The rural areas of Bohemia provided the raw materials and the workers to create the beads which were then sold to larger jewelry factories. Until the 1800s, these beads were made by hand, each one shaped, cut, strung and polished individually. Glass bead making during this time was a cottage industry with whole families taking part in the production process.

In the 1700s, bead making really took off. At the time there was a great deal of competition with Venetian glass makers; Bohemian bead makers also learned a great deal about new techniques from their Venetian counterparts. During this time, they also developed their own unique styles and techniques.

In 1830, machines began taking over some of the work that had been done by hand. Various machines were invented and used to press and decorate beads – and also buttons. This allowed for more complex shapes, colors and finishes to be used. Techniques such as fire polishes, iridescent finishes, and other types of decoration were developed.

During the 1800s, “Sample Men” searched the world for new designs and ideas to use in bead making – continuing their competition with Venetian bead makers. These men went as far as Africa, Tibet and Japan to find ideas. Their travels also encouraged demand, and thus production, to grow. Glass making schools were set up in different areas of the Bohemian region; some of these are still functioning today. During this time Josef Riedel, called the “glass king of the Jizera Mountains”, established a company in this region that created beads in over 100 colors and 19 sizes. He also built a factory that mechanically produced perfectly round seed beads.

After World War I, the nation of Czechoslovakia was created. Most of Bohemia was included in this new country. Although the war had hurt the glass industry, bead production continued to do well for a period of time. But then the Great Depression and after that World War II reached Czechoslovakia, seriously impacting both the country as a whole and all of its glass industry. Czechoslovakia became Communist and in the late 1940s all glass factories were nationalized. Sadly, the industry was allowed to decline.

In 1958 a decision was made to reverse that decline and bead making was also revived. Huge nationalized factories were built and the export of the glass items being made, including beads, was encouraged.

I have not seen many Czech glass cabochons, but buttons were made during this time (as well as in earlier times). Cabochons, if made, would have been created in a similar way as buttons but without the shank in the back. I have a few cabochons that I believe date from the 1950s-60s. They remind me of some of the buttons I’ve seen; they are impressed and enameled and are very cheerful! It is even possible that they were meant as buttons but were never finished in the back.

In the late 1980s, Communist rule ended and Czechoslovakia split into two countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czech Republic included the area that was North Bohemia, and in this region the bead making industry revived. Interestingly, this new revival went back to the industry's roots in a way, focusing on small scale production with individual crafts people supplying local factories. Nineteenth century techniques were brought back, but with improved technology.

While the earliest beads were created by winding molten glass around rods, now beads are made using a variety of techniques. One is to create long "canes" or shaped rods of glass that are then cut, creating beads like the yellow ones and the red ones hanging at the bottom of the earrings on the right. The little faceted red beads above them are actually vintage Czech glass - likely from around 1960 or so.

Other beads are pressed into molds. Originally, a bit of molten glass was dropped into a pair of molds that had handles like tongs, and then was squeezed to mold the shape into the glass. Now, hydraulic presses can form thousands of uniform beads at a time. One thing I love is that even though the shape and mold are the same, the glass varies a bit, making each bead unique. Beads like these flowers, owls and spirals are created by pressing into a mold.

Still other beads are made in a mold, but are then cut and polished to create a bit of elegance, like these:

The teardrop beads on the right have a lovely opalescent look. The red beads above them are also molded and then cut, but the top and bottom were left with a matte finish while the band around the middle is polished. Details like this are one thing I love about Czech glass beads!

No matter how the beads are shaped, the holes are drilled after they are made using high speed drills that allow for very precise and even holes.

Czech glass beads pair very well with natural stones. The spiral earrings above have round Serpentine beads on them; the orange flower earrings have little faceted sunstones above them. Here are two other examples:

The turquoise wash on the owls is a perfect match for little Turquoise beads (Nacozari Turquoise from Mexico), while the little soft pink leaves pair nicely with pink opal.

Although the earrings I make with Czech glass are made with wire, I do like to add metal-smithed components, as you can see above. Here are a couple of other examples:

I do love leaves!!

Finally, I have also set beads just like a cabochon. When I do that, I choose beads that are fairly flat and are opaque so you don't see the line made by the hole running through it. Here's an example:

Currently Czech beads face competition from those made in large mass produced factories in China and India. Czech glass beads are more expensive than those mass produced beads, but they are so well worth it!

They come in all colors, many sizes and oh so many shapes and finishes! As you can see from the pictures, they can be elegant or rustic, simple or complex, or just plain fun! Knowing that the craft of bead making in this region goes back hundreds of years really adds to their allure.

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip away from rocks.

I always love to hear from you. Let me know what you think, and what you’d like to see in future newsletters.