The first thing I did to get ready to make these beads was to roll translucent clay through the thinnest setting of the pasta machine, then I laid a piece of silver leaf on half of the translucent, folded it in half and rolled it through the pasta machine again, then I put it between deli wrap and rolled it through again, the thinner you can get this sheet the clearer it will be after baking. Don't worry if it tears, you will be putting torn pieces onto your beads.

 

                       

 

1.  Start with a brick of            2.  Hand roll the slices into        3. Cut tissue paper thin

     scrap clay, cut equal                beads.                                     slices from a cane

      slices of clay from                                                                  with lots of trans                        

      the brick,  the #                                                                      clay in it. I used a               

      is up to you.                                                                           mum cane.

    

 

            

 

4.  Apply slices to the beads   5. Apply torn pieces of the translucent        6.Cut tissue paper thin

    and roll in your hand.            with the silver leaf to the beads, roll              slices from another

                                                in your hand.                                               cane with lots of  

                                                                                                                   translucent clay in it. 

                                                                                                                   I used a mum cane 

                                                                                                                   with pearl & white.  

 

 

                

 

7. Here are the beads before     8. Swirled into a lentil bead, before      9. After baking @ 275

    swirling with all the cane            baking. Put holes in beads                   degrees for 45 min.

    slices & silver leaf                     beads now w/ a needle tool.                 I tent w/ batting.

    layer.                                                                                                                                 

 

  

 

10.  Here are the beads after sanding through several grits of wet/dry

       sandpaper, 400 - 1500 and buffed with a muslin wheel on my

       dremel tool. If you are careful handling your beads sanding will

       not take very long and the buffing just takes a minute or two

      per bead.

                      

 

Here is the finished bracelet strung with glass beads

and a toggle type closure.

 

 

For the best tutorial I have ever seen on swirling lentil as well as other great info visit...