Trollbeads: iittala inspired

A new shipment of glowing glass from iittala of Finland inspired today’s bracelet… we had such fun putting it together on our workbench!  There’s just something about blue glass that strikes a chord with me… it makes me think of water, beach glass, antique bottles and my Mum’s collection of art glass (some of which, of course, was iittala!)

Anyone who is familiar with iittala knows that they are very famous for their gorgeous glass birds… so I thought I should select the “Swan Lock” as a starting point for this design…

For glass beads, I immediately thought of liquid-blue “beach” and “Turquoise Ribbon”, with its clear body and narrow swirl of colour.  Also, one of my favorite beads (and soon-to-be-retired) “Blue-Green Feather”, with it’s perfect teal.  I wanted the overall theme to be blue, teal and a touch of green, but couldn’t resist adding a “Labradorite” and “Azure Bubbles” to soften it and make it more wearable for everyday… last year we had mossy grey iittala, perhaps I was remembering them…

For a pop of brilliant green I chose “Earth”.  It’s truly incomparable for a mouthwatering hit of emerald.  Lots of our ladies repeat significant beads in a design, to give additional emphasis to a particular colour or pattern… I don’t often repeat, but decided to play with that idea a little this time, and tried two “Beaches” and “Jugends”.  I like the rhythm it offers, and the dominance of the unique, “Beach” blue.

Clockwise from clasp:  “Swan Lock”, “Turquoise Prism”, “Blue Desert”, “Green Flower Mosaic”, “Angel Feathers”, “Beach”, “Labradorite”, “Jugend”, “Earth”, “Jugend”, “Azure Bubbles”, “Beach”, “Zanzibar”, “Blue-Green Feather”, “Turquoise Ribbon”, “Grey Prism”.

C.