First, I made the bead from Italian and American glass on a large mandrel, making the bead hole 3/8″ in size. After it is run annealed, I cut a length of sterling silver tubing just a bit longer than the width of the bead. I hammer at both ends of the tubing until they flare.
Finally, the tubing flips over against the bead and it is hammered flat. After the silver is polished and the bead cleaned, the bead is ready to wear as a focal on a chain (as shown) or a length of leather or other material.
