Announcement    Hi! Welcome to Larissa Spafford Designs on Etsy. Thanks so much for visiting! I use the lampworking technique, also known as flameworking or torchworking, to make my artisan glass beads. I use them to make earrings, necklaces, pendants and zipper pulls that are colorful and fun to wear. I also make large hole beads lined with silver to fit your Pandora, Trollbeads and similar European and domestic interchangeable jewelry brands.

Each bead is made one at a time. They are built from the center outward around a steel mandrel that has been dipped in a clay like coating that prevents the glass from sticking. Each color that you see begins as a different rod of glass. I often layer many colors to get the perfect color and give it depth.

Bead making requires a delicate balance of heat. The bead must be hot enough to work and prevent cracking, but not so hot that it smears delicate details or drips (unless that's the effect I'm going for!). When hot, the color is different than when cool, so I never know exactly how a new design will look when I am making it.

Once the bead is finished it goes directly from the flame into my digitally controlled kiln for annealing. This evens out stresses created during the working process and makes the beads more durable. Once annealed, the round ones are similar in strength to marbles. Beads with an irregular shape, like flowers, are more delicate, but still more durable than you might think. If treated carefully, they will last longer than us!

I make many of my own jewelry components from recycled silver. The ones I don’t make, are made from recycled silver and/or made in the US whenever available. My tags and boxes are also made from recycled materials.

3% of sales are donated to Bend Habitat for Humanity. I chose to give to Habitat for Humanity for a very personal reason. Before my family lived in Bend, we lived in our very own Habitat for Humanity home in Port Townsend, WA. I am deeply and forever grateful to each person that was involved in making owning a home a possibility for our family. Habitat for Humanity truly is a wonderful organization making a difference in the world.

All of the work you see here is already made and ready to ship in 1-2 business days.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks so much for visiting my shop:) Larissa