Day 305. It’s quite a process going from an empty Bombay Sapphire Gin bottle, all the way through to a finished pair of earrings! First you have to soak the bottle, cleaning the inside and removing the labels from the outside. Next you have to smash the bottle with a hammer to get workable pieces of glass. Next I use my torch to melt the glass and form the beads. Then they anneal in the kiln to strengthen the beads. Once they have cooled down I need to remove them from the mandrel and clean out the holes. I can then use etching solution to take the shine off the beads, or leave them shiny. I like the contrast here. The bottom bead is made from a Fever-Tree tonic bottle.
