Lampworked Glass Jewelry by Jane Barthelemy

Northwest jewelry designer Jane Barthelemy creates her colorful necklaces, earrings, bracelets and pendants in innovative, multi-layered glass designs. She infuses the finest of old-world craftsmanship with eclectic, energized, modern style.

Jane's exclusive lamp beads are made entirely by hand over a single flame. Many of the beads have an internal layer of 24k gold or sterling silver, which adds luminosity to transparent colors. Jane says, "Each color must be layered one at a time while keeping the molten glass at a constant temperature, or the bead will crack. After several trials, we allow the bead to cool and it's true colors appear. The final result is often quite a surprise, even more beautiful than what I had originally envisioned!"

Originally from Boston, Jane lived in Italy where she sang as a primadonna in Italian opera theaters. While living and singing in Venice, she fell in love with glass and learned to make lamp work beads. She frequently created beads and jewelry to wear for her own performances on stage. In 1993, she tired of the life of a performer, returned to the USA and began to create her own jewelry collections.