2007 BEAD CHALLENGE
Congratulations go out to Karen Moore.
VOTED POPULAR CHOICE BY THE ATTENDEES OF THE 2007 SHOW
click the image for a closer look
Karen Moore - Jewelry Designer
Karen chose to repeat the delicate ribbons of 14 karat gold that are in the bead by using a gold beading wire as the base of the necklace. Periwinkle, celery, lavendar and sky blue beads were used to emphasize the floral decoration on the 2007 Challenge Bead. In order to give the bead an airy, weightless appearance, she dropped a wispy spray of color from the bottom of the focal bead.
The color choice and design of the necklace were inspired by the 2007 Challenge Bead created by Julie Dickson of Eclectia.
Below are the other entries submitted for the
2007 Art Glass and Bead Challenge.
-click on each image for closer look-
 Gennifer Lawrence |
 Gail Piper |
 Donna Lee Bock |
 Heather Chapman |
 Lynn Gifford Midnight Moon |
 Jackie Goetz Jewelers Workshop |
 Shannon Jambard Meant-To-Bead |
 Liz Jones Lizart |
 Patty Tiry Bead Prestige |
 Rachel Schwartzlow Jewelers Workshop |
2007 Challenge Bead by Julie Dickson of Eclectia
Julie created our 2007 limited edition Challenge bead from solid polymer clay using the ancient technique of millefiore (mill-ee-fee-OR-ee) or Thousands of Flowers. All the colors are actually different colors of clay that have been manipulated to form "canes." Thin slices from multiple canes are adhered to the hand-sculpted polymer base bead for the finished design. Images such as flowers and leaves are very traditional. "Nope, it's not painted!"
After that, another layer of work is applied to add transparency and depth. The delicate white lines visible across the top of the design are actually clay, too.
The next step is the Japanese process MUKAME GANE. (moo-kah-mee gah-nay). Twentyfour carat gold leaf is layerd with translucent clay and applied randomly to the top.
Finally, the bead is baked in a conventional oven (an oven dedicated to clay use only), wet-sanded through 4 grades of waterproof sandpaper, and hand buffed with cotton to get the shine.