Bubbas Beads
Hi, I am Bubba, strange name I hear you say, I am actually called Ann but when my grandson was small he was unable to say ‘grandma’ (thank goodness!) and called me Bubba instead – and it stuck. When trying to think of a suitable name for my business I thought Bubbas Beads sounded quite quirky so Bubbas Beads it became.
I grew up in the Essex countryside with my two brothers and an assortment of dogs and cats. After marrying and having a son and a daughter I spent a short time in South Wales before a twenty year stint in the beautiful Isle of Man. My husband's job has recently bought us to Gibraltar where we live by the sea during the week and retreat to the rural Spanish hills at weekends and for holdiays.
I make unique handcrafted jewellery using artisan sourced lampwork beads and finished off with swarovski crystals,gemstone beads and sometimes vintage glass beads. My designs are normally quite simple – I let the beauty of the lampwork beads speak for themselves. As each lampwork bead is individually handcrafted, no two are exactly the same so each piece I make is truly unique.
So what is a lampwork bead I hear you say? How are they made? Lampwork beads are made from glass and are individually created by melting a rod of glass with a blow torch, around a mandrel, which is a thin length of stainless steel. Turning the mandrel and holding it in different positions allows gravity to help the bead take form, but tools are also used to push and pull glass beads into shape. It is then placed in a kiln for 'annealing' - a process where it is cooled very slowly to stop any cracking and to ensure strength and durability. Once out of the kiln the bead is then cleaned and is ready to be made into a beautiful piece of jewellery.
Please take the time to look at my gallery pages and online shop, and also check out my Facebook page for more up to date photos, any comments would be welcome on my guest book, or you can email me via the contact form.
Many thanks for taking the time to drop by and visit my site. I hope you like what you see.
I grew up in the Essex countryside with my two brothers and an assortment of dogs and cats. After marrying and having a son and a daughter I spent a short time in South Wales before a twenty year stint in the beautiful Isle of Man. My husband's job has recently bought us to Gibraltar where we live by the sea during the week and retreat to the rural Spanish hills at weekends and for holdiays.
I make unique handcrafted jewellery using artisan sourced lampwork beads and finished off with swarovski crystals,gemstone beads and sometimes vintage glass beads. My designs are normally quite simple – I let the beauty of the lampwork beads speak for themselves. As each lampwork bead is individually handcrafted, no two are exactly the same so each piece I make is truly unique.
So what is a lampwork bead I hear you say? How are they made? Lampwork beads are made from glass and are individually created by melting a rod of glass with a blow torch, around a mandrel, which is a thin length of stainless steel. Turning the mandrel and holding it in different positions allows gravity to help the bead take form, but tools are also used to push and pull glass beads into shape. It is then placed in a kiln for 'annealing' - a process where it is cooled very slowly to stop any cracking and to ensure strength and durability. Once out of the kiln the bead is then cleaned and is ready to be made into a beautiful piece of jewellery.
Please take the time to look at my gallery pages and online shop, and also check out my Facebook page for more up to date photos, any comments would be welcome on my guest book, or you can email me via the contact form.
Many thanks for taking the time to drop by and visit my site. I hope you like what you see.
I am proud to be a Self-Representing Artist - Jewellery Designer. Reg Number 2882.
