Friday, March 30, 2012

Glass Tiles- not just for bathrooms anymore!

I just finished and listed a necklace on Etsy.  It is made from a small glass tile.  You know, the kind that is used in bathrooms!  I love using these for the depth they have, although the thickness and shape sometimes makes them a little tricky to bezel.
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link to Etsy listing


So I got to thinking about all the necklaces I have made over the years from tiles and thought I would post them.

I am happy to say that my picture taking skills have improved over the years.  I apologize for the quality of these images- some of them are pretty bad!

It all began when a customer of mine bought 4 beautiful tiles that looked like dichroic glass.  They were small for tiles, but big for jewelry. About 3" across.  There were 2 gold ones and 2 blue ones.  She wanted me to design and make necklaces with these.  First, the gold ones:




It was quite a challenge.  Not only did I need to design the necklaces around square tiles, but they all needed to be quite different in style.  Next I tackled the blue tiles:
bad picture, but my favorite of the necklaces!



Well, the customer was so happy with these, that she presented me with 2 more tiles!!  These were beautiful sculptured tiles, but much thicker and heavier than the first ones.



 These tiles would have been pretty expensive if you were tiling a whole bathroom!  But not so bad for a focal in a necklace.

Done with the commissions, I decided to do some necklaces with tiles of my own.  This one is made with 1" square tiles:


And this one I made with a ceramic tile that I sand blasted to get the design:


So there you have it!  Maybe my next post will be some of the other unusual things I have beaded around.  My husband always says, "If it sits still, she'll bead around it!"



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14 comments:

  1. Cynthia Newcomer DanielMarch 30, 2012 at 10:17 AM

    Ooooooh! Those are lovely. I know which aisle I'm going down next time I'm at the home improvement store.

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    1. Betty StephanMarch 30, 2012 at 10:32 AM

      Thanks Cynthia. Yep, sometimes we leave the bead store and hit the hardware store!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousMarch 30, 2012 at 11:09 AM

    These have to be the most unique genius necklaces I've seen in a while. Thank you so much for sharing this series. I have pinned every one in Pinterest!

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    1. Betty StephanMarch 30, 2012 at 3:04 PM

      Thanks so much for that nice comment!! And thanks for sharing these

      Delete
  3. ruthieMarch 31, 2012 at 1:47 AM

    I tried that once but wasn't very successful, maybe its time to try again.

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    1. Betty StephanMarch 31, 2012 at 7:48 AM

      It is a little tricky to bezel the thicker tiles. Also, because they are square you have to decrease at the corners. It take a little trial and error!

      Delete
  4. Lisa BalloweMarch 31, 2012 at 6:45 AM

    They are beautiful Betty! I especially was drawn to the second gold one.

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  5. Betty StephanMarch 31, 2012 at 7:55 AM

    Thanks Lisa!

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  6. Marsha Wiest-HinesApril 2, 2012 at 7:29 AM

    Simply breathtaking!!!! Every one is a beauty but I too am super partial to the second one, and the green tiles at the end of the post and their necklace is glorious! WOW. My huybby is a contractor and I have admired MANY glass tile bathrooms at open houses, claiming that the tile setters are closet beaders.

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    1. KRDesigns11April 3, 2012 at 10:52 AM

      Lovely challenges. It reminds me of the sponsor to a Geneva, IL art fair who gave tiles to all the artists; if they created something with tiles, they were exempt from the jury process the next year. It was a competition as well. An artist friend felted a cowl type neck scarf. You have more than beading skills if you sand blasted the tile!

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    2. Betty StephanApril 5, 2012 at 10:38 PM

      Thanks Marsha. There really are some amazingly beautiful tiles. A customer of mine used to work for a flooring company and gave me a bunch of sample/ showroom tiles.

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    3. Betty StephanApril 5, 2012 at 10:43 PM

      Thanks Karen. That show challenge sound right up my aisle!! What a great idea. Sandblasting doesn't take a whole lot of talent, I think. I just put some stickers on the tiles and blasted away!

      Delete
  7. GlasellDesignApril 6, 2012 at 11:17 PM

    Wonderful to see this! They are so beautiful, all of them!

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