Birds | Karen Southey

Bird Earrings 'Cobalt'

Handmade bird shaped lampwork beads are made with a base of colbalt transparent glass and orange raku frit.  The bird's wings and head are clear transparent.

Hooks and Glass Birds Beads are handmade by Karen
Hooks, beads and findings are made in Sterling Silver
Length from top of hook: approximately 35mm

About

Karen Southey is a glass bead and jewellery maker based in Te Kopuru, Northland. She has been creating jewellery for over a decade and loves every step of the process from the making of glass beads to j=bespoke jewellery pieces.

Having experimented with various styles and techniques in her jewellery making journey, in 2014 Karen took a weekend course at 'Born to Bead' and fell in love with the process. She has been making her own beads ever since then.

Each bead is carefully crafted in a very hot flame and then immediately put in a kiln to cool gradually for several hours to cure. Karen mainly use Italian glass (Effetre) and some American (Double Helix) and also enjoys transforming broken antique bottle glass, found in Kaipara, into beautiful beads and sustainable jewellery for everyday use.