About this Product
VedasBeads
Meet the Maker
Hello! My name is Jessica Veda Jones. I live in a tiny town outside of Spokane, Wa with my incredibly supportive husband, our youngest daughter, 2 cats, and an iguana. We live in a giant old Grange Hall that is a fabulous place to create (but murder to heat!)! We have 3 daughters and 4 grandchildren. I am the full time day care for 2 of the grandbabies and also run a vintage business in addition to the glass working. In my spare time I play in the kitchen; cooking, baking and canning, and dabble in gardening. Glass was my passion for years, but then several moves and life changes interrupted it (for about 8 years) and I am so thrilled to finally be back behind the torch!
How it’s Made
All beads and buttons in my shop start as a rod of glass (about the diameter of a pencil). The glass rod is melted in the flame of an oxygen propane torch and then wrapped around a mandrel dipped in bead release. I use heat, tools, and additional glass to shape the bead or button. Once I've reached the desired look, the item goes into a kiln holding at 960* F. When I'm finished creating for the day, I set the kiln to complete the annealing process. This takes approximately 8 hours. When the beads reach room temperature, I remove them from the kiln, remove them from the mandrels, and clean the holes with a Dremel tool. At this point I can either photograph them and list them for sale or put them in a rock tumbler for 24-48 hours to create a matte finish.
