Double Helix Opaque Speckled Luster - OP-509

 Another Speckled Lustre from Double Helix - due to be released on their website today, along with the other test batches from the gathering. This is OP-509 - and like the 507 - the glass rods have a texture that you can feel. It's not unpleasant - not scratchy - just a very definite texture.


 

This first bead is a core of clear (I often put these expensive glasses over a base of something inexpensive to make them go further), encased with 509, and kilned. No striking or reducing at all. It went into the kiln a creamy colour with streaks of brown, and struck in the kiln to a deep chestnut brown - which looks blackish here - and in life - it is pretty dark.

Next up - both with a clear core and encased with 509, and struck. When struck - they were a glorious golden orange - but in the kiln - they have continued to strike to a deep topaz colour, and also develop a wonder metallic lustre.

Again - clear core - encased 509, cooled, and reduced. They were both glorious going into the kiln - rich golden orange and metallicy. They got quite a bit darker in the kiln - I think that they are over clear helps - as this glass is transparent - so you get light coming through from both sides.

Now this bead is a clear core, encased 509, reduced, BUT it was reduced WHILE IT WAS STILL GLOWING.

Notice the opacity? That's what we call "muddy." Reducing a bead that is still glowing gives you different results to reducing a bead that has been allowed to cool to the point of not glowing any more (hold the bead under the table so that you can check if all the glow has gone out of the glass.)

It's still a pretty cool bead.

This bead is: clear core, encased 509, struck, reduced on the left end of the bead, and then the whole thing encased in clear.  Remember - there are just two glasses in this bead - and one of them is clear.

And for this final bead - clear core, encase 509 - pretty thin layer - some Rubino Goldstone stringer, shape and mash it, stamp it with a brass spiral stamp, let it cool, reduce it, encase it - using a big gather to cover the entire spiral stamped area at once, then the same for the other side, and fill in the encasing around it, and shape.

Yummy.