Today's blog comes from Candace Weir, Central Library staff:

Other than balsamic vinegar and a bottle of wine, the only things that I brought back from my trip to Italy, were a bracelet and a bead. Both featured Venetian glass beads. They were glass and glittered and Italian – so perfect souvenirs for a glassblower.

If you share my fascination with these tiny treasures, you will enjoy a new book, Venetian Glass Beads, by author Kathy Fox. She takes the reader to Venice and Murano for a brief history of the beads produced there. There are also 24 jewelry projects to make, should you wish. Sprinkled throughout the book are photographs from Venice, just another enticement to turn the pages.

Lark Books publish great sources for crafters, both how to and inspirational. Creating Glass Beads by Jeri Warhartig is a great how to for glass blowers, while Glass Beads: Major Works by Leading Artists is full of inspiration from the work of master craftspeople. For inspiration closer to home, check out Calgary glass artist, Martha Henry’s pendant gallery.

One of our older books, a Schiffer book for collectors, is Glass Beads from Europe by Sibylle Jargstorf. It is full of unique information about bead history. I would love to get my paws on a Bohemian bead or others from the 1930s.

The book also shows a glass head bead by Cristiano Balbi from Venice, made in 1993, next to an ancient one, probably from Carthage (p 13).

Online, you can see master Balbi at work in this Youtube video.

Exciting stuff for glassblowers.

-Candace