Cool Effect!

How's this for a totally cool effect?

These geological looking beads are made with a base of "Curdled Ivory" and embellished with a thin trail of Double Helix Triton.

Curdled Ivory is a batch of Moretti Dark Ivory that breaks up and makes lots of lovely, dark crackly lines.

Make your core bead of the Curdled Ivory. I find that this is more dramatic with the bigger beads, over inch long. Really heat it a lot - even after laying down the glass, keep it hot and moving for a bit.

Let it stabilize enough to work, and then lay down a trail of Triton. Heat the snot out of it again, shape up, mash if you like.

You should be able to see the ivory separating - see the white dots popping out. (Part of what is happening is that the silver content in the Triton is fuming the ivory. I also tried this with Double Helix Pysche, with passable results - but I like the blue of the Triton better. It's worth trying with other silver-saturated colours too.)




For the final step, I hit it with a "Dragon's Breath" reduction flame to pop out the metallic in the Triton. (Turn off the oxygen, crank up the gas, until the flame stands off the surface of the torch, roll the bead in the flame for a few seconds.)

Pop it in the kiln.

Way cool, eh?