Beautiful Enameled Copper by Ckoop
I met Sara Lukkonen at the Pasadena Bead and Design show and I felt lucky that her booth is just a few feet from ours.
Sara has been enameling for 30 years and has an amazing story:
“It all started over 30 years ago when I saw how to make enameled beads in a craft magazine. I had a hobby kiln so I had all the supplies that were needed but the torch. I went out to the garage and got my dad’s soldering torch and began making beads. At first I made the tubular beads and made them in to jewelry to sell. This went on for a bit.
Life went on as it always does and I got married and had three sons. When my boys got older I bought some glass powder and supplies at an estate sale. After finding these supplies I started making beads again just for me. Being that my boys were still at an age where curiosity got the best of them, I cleared a spot in our unused chicken coop to make my beads.
While having fun making the beads I was went back to college and became a Dietitian. I practiced in the field for a few years. During this time I still made my beads and created jewelry for myself and friends. While I was shopping for beads in a Minneapolis bead store, the manager of the store came up to me and asked me where I got the beads on my bracelet. “I made them” I said. She asked me if they were for sale and would like to carry them in her store. Thus C-Koop Beads was born.
Today we make the beads on an oxygen/propane torch. Each piece is made one at a time in an open flame, making each piece unique. No two pieces are alike, similar but not exactly alike.
C-Koop went from making one style of bead to over 100 styles of beads, buttons, pendants and components.
The toughest part of the whole business is not having enough time to create all the new ideas that I come up with!”
I bought a few pieces from her and came up with paper bead necklace on a memory wire. I just did not make one.
I think they complement very well with the paper beads, those colors are just incredible!
She makes them by hand and no two are alike. Here’s some of Sara’s work:
Paper Bead Neck Wire Necklace
Paper Bead Neck wire necklace w/ hammered silver pendant
You can use different size of smaller paper beads it does not have to be the olive shaped as long as they are small. You can also substitute the swarovski crystals for other crystals or beads.
Paper Bead Neckwire using Memory wire necklace
When you cut the memory wire from the coil, it is hard and stiff and would seem to be too small for the neck. You can relax the wire by just gently pulling it apart, until it becomes bigger, enough to fit around the neck.
Memory wire necklace using paper beads
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