These beads are made in a process which mimics how planets and moons form – accretion of bits of glass (or space) debris, melted together and allowed to drip, drop and mingle. They are then reformed into spheres, separated by black space beads and strung on a sterling silver chain. The bracelet has a sterling silver catch and extender chain to fit a range of wrist sizes.

The lampwork beads are made, one by one, in my Christchurch, New Zealand, workspace at XCHC, a shared maker space. They are made by melting coloured glass in a gas/oxygen flame and manipulating the surface so they resemble the artist’s images of the planets. The beads for each System are chosen, strung on the sterling silver chain and the catch added. Each System may differ slightly from the image.