Leah Fairbanks Bead

I bought a couple of beads from Leah Fairbanks when she was teaching. (Hint: Lampwork Guest Instructors always bring beads to sell. Even if you can't take the class - it's a great opportunity to drop by and have a chance to add to your collection without the hassles of shipping, Ebay, bidding wars, etc.)

Here's what I did with one of them.

The bead itself shows Maple leaves in their autumn finery, floating over a deep blue background.

Because the blue has a hint of green, I chose some Azurite which I have had kicking around, according to records, for about 5 years. It pays to stash stuff for later!

For the metal parts, I went with the gold colours, using a mix of brass, gold-plate and gold-filled. Two metal saucer beads added in the strand give variety and picked up the gold colour and carry it through from the pendant to the clasp.




I have to admit - I pretty much stole the idea for the design from some of the jewelry that Leah herself was wearing - her beads lend themselves particularly well to being paired with stone and gem beads.

This handsome necklace is now a permanent part of the Marg Y personal collection. ;-)