The Glass Blueberry Necklace you see is made with three of my handmade glass blueberry beads. Two are ripe and one is a beautiful unripe mixture of red and purple. The blueberries are
surrounded by my handmade glass leaves to make a cluster grouping on a piece of heavy Sterling Silver wire. The pendant cluster is then hung on Sterling Silver figure-eight chain.
Each blueberry bead is created by melting colored glass rods in the flame of a torch, directly onto the twisted end of a copper wire which becomes the stem. Because the copper stem is embedded inside the glass it can never be pulled free. The points of the flower star on the end of each blueberry have been
rounded to prevent them from chipping and so they cannot snag on clothing. The surface coloring of
each berry is achieved by sprinkling it with powdered glass which is then completely
melted into the surface. It can take up to 20 coats of transparent red glass to make the unripe blueberry. Because no paint is used the color will never rub, flake or chip off.
These berries and leaves are made one at a time so no two are ever exactly alike.
The standard length for the necklace you see above is 20” and it is finished with a lobster clasp. There is a small matching glass green leaf dangling from the free end of the chain. You may adjust the length anywhere between 18 and 20 inches by hooking the clasp into the chain loop of your choice. Different lengths and clasp styles are available by special order. Like all of my jewelry, this design is available in both 14/20 Gold-Filled and Sterling Silver.
You can see alternate blueberry necklace designs and matching blueberry jewelry by viewing the Blueberries Page of this site. Blueberry jewelry can also be custom made with high-karat gold or platinum findings and accented with gemstone beads. Some examples can be viewed on the Custom Jewelry Page.
