Rachel Dawes

Rachel lives in Norwich, Norfolk with her husband and 2 sons. Two years ago she discovered lampworking, which is the process of making glass beads using rods of different coloured glass and an extremely hot specialist torch. The end of a glass rod is heated in the flame until it becomes molten. It is then wound onto a steel mandrel and formed into a bead. Further decorations can be added with different coloured glass to create elaborate and complex designs. Rachel makes up special glass canes around 1mm to 2mm thick entirely by hand for this purpose.

“I often use fine silver foil in my beads as it reacts with certain types of glass to create a very organic effect that I’m particularly drawn to. Once I’ve finished working on the bead, it is placed straight into a hot kiln and annealed for several hours to ensure strength and durability.”

Rachel uses these glass beads in many of her jewellery designs. She also works with semi precious gemstones, Swarovski crystals and sterling silver.

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