ABOUT 

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In the beginning there was a desire to make jewelry, and to sell it online. This was mostly for the purpose of supplementing the family income, that was in early February of 2009. Sorry that it is not a more romantic start of a company..... Fairly quickly the decision was made that it had to include Lampwork Beads.

 

This is not an easy skill to acquire, but for my purposes a very worthwhile skill to have.  In the summer of 2009 the studio was all set up in the basement, where it currently still is. And off I went into the abyss, with a Youtube video or two under my belt.  I made myself a promise, everyday I would make beads and put them in a cup, and I told myself that if the cup was filled, I made enough beads to know what I was doing. It took a month... And then I made a set of beads and promptly sold it on eBay. That was the beginning. 

 

In the basement is where the magic happens. The beads are made all one by one in a flame, produced by a tabletop torch. Mine is a Bethlehem Bravo, and I call him Brad. I use beautiful glass from Italy, and other beautiful silver glass from right here in the US. Once the beads are done, they go straight from the flame into a digitally controlled kiln. This is to ensure a controlled cooldown, which increased the strength and durability of the beads. After they come out of the kiln, they get cleaned with a dremel tool, and are ready to be made into jewelry, or can be sold as sets for other designers to make their own jewelry.  Beads always bring great joy to people it seemed, and it brings great joy for me to make them, so that all works out.

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All my beads for my jewelry are paired with sterling silver, some of which is handmade in Bali, Indonesia, and gets imported by me directly. I also like to use Swarovski crystals. In addition there is sterling and sometimes copper wire weaving around my beads. Recently I also started to dabble in silver smiting, which I combine with glass cabochons, and a variation of semi-precious stones. 

 

Currently Gea Hines Studio beads, and jewelry, are well liked by people from all walks of life. Every item you buy from me, is created with great care and eye for detail. It is completely hand fabricated in my home studio, with great pride, love, and passion.  I hope you'll enjoy your piece for many years to come, and wear it with pride, knowing that I spent great effort, and time, to create this for that sole purpose.

 

For the foreseeable future, you can find my beads and jewelry here, it is a very dynamic process, so check back often. And make sure to sign up for my mailing list, to stay informed about promotions and events. 

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