glass bead necklaces by charles
I thought I would share with you my other favorite holiday gift, this time given to me....
My husband is a man of many talents. He is an network engineer / patent attorney by day and a glass rolling genius at night. After watching the glass blowers at The Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach for the last two summers, he was determined to learn the craft. However, due to space constraints (i.e. we do not have a full-size glass blowing kiln), Charles wisely decided he needed to roll glass in smaller proportions. Perhaps inspiration came as he watched me lay in bed at night, pouring over the jewelry in the J.Crew catalog? At any rate, he decided to learn the art of jewelry making and has been rolling glass beads in our garage late at night.
In anticipation of the holiday season, he really stepped up his efforts. Every empty baby food jar and soda bottle was saved to be melted down into something infinitely more beautiful.
My husband is the most generous person I know (seriously) and he somehow managed to create necklaces for each female member of my family as well as his sisters that live in Las Vegas (so sorry for you out-of-towners!). He is also infinitely humble, pointing out all the non-existent flaws in his pieces. I'm just hoping that this hobby continues as I'm definitely reaping the benefits!
01.5.2010
Reader Comments (19)
What a talent! The necklaces are absolutely beautiful and the color combos are fabulous! And to recycle materials already on hand just makes them even better. Lucky you!
That's amazing! Lucky you, indeed.
My sister made your mom's chocolate mocha pecan pie twice over the holidays. Absolutely wonderful, and that's coming from someone who is not normally a pecan pie fan. I'm quite sure it will be a staple in our holiday celebrations in the years to come. Thank you!
These necklaces are beautiful, indeed. I saw Kristin's and fell in love with it....I thought hers was from J Crew until she told me your husband made it. LOVE it!
Ooh la la! Yay, Charles!
What a hubby!
As a recipient of one of Charles' pieces, I can say they are beautiful. I wear it ALL the time and always get a compliment on it. Thank you both for your generosity.
Those necklaces are gorgeous and totally J.Crew lookalikes, but with way more meaning and thought. What a wonderful present!
Charles has ALWAYS been a very good egg. Beautiful work.
I also saw Kristin's over Thanksgiving and LOVE it! They truly are beautiful and your husband is uber talented, to say the least. Is he taking any orders - I would love to purchase one?
I saw Jillian's beautiful necklace. When can I place my order?
i love them! very gorgeous.
Wow, I am blown away (pun intended) by the creativity, craftsmanship, beauty, and utter thoughtfulness.
That is amazing, congratulations to him!!
What talent! I didn't even know that rolling your own glass beads was even possible. Those are so beautiful!
Maybe he needs to be featured on the blog to explain to us all.... how to roll glass beads out of baby food jars!! Simply simple & stunning.
Tail Wags to All.
~Moose
I agree with Moose - would your hubby be willing to a tutorial for the rest of us?
I love my beautiful necklace and have gotten countless inquiries as to wear to purchase.It's a work of art and I love telling people my brother made it :)
omg! your husband deserves the "BEST HUBBY" award! that's so sweet!!!
WOW...so impressive! I love the orange/gray one. They are VERY JCrew-esque. I can't believe he made them from glass baby food jars and soda bottles.