Hi there!  I’m Nichole, and I make glass beads.  With a torch.  All by myself!   

Although my focus is on making lampwork glass beads at the torch, that creative outlet naturally expanded to include making my own sterling silver jewelry utilizing my beads, for truly unique and one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.  I have taught wire jewelry techniques here in Illinois and have had two projects published in the magazine Step by Step Wire Jewelry (Spring 2005 and Winter 2006).  

I am primarily self-taught in lampworking thanks to Cindy Jenkins’ book Making Glass Beads.  Yes, Cindy – it’s all your fault (and thank you from the bottom of my heart for spelling the process out so well)!  I am grateful to have had the privilege to learn from some of the masters of glass, such as Leah Fairbanks, Trey Cornette, Andrea Guarino, Barbara Becker Simon, Heather Trimlett, Kim Fields, and more. 

I got addicted to sterling wire while I briefly lived in Ohio.  My friend Laura (who I first came to know when she became an Ebay customer of my lampwork beads) initially taught me how to make wire jewelry, and we later took a “girls’ trip” to San Diego with our friend Ro to take a great wire class with Connie Fox and shop at some of the neat bead stores in Old Town.  I also have taken a couple of really great classes with Kate McKinnon at my favorite studio, The Gathering Place (Thanks, Portia!) and I was introduced to sheet metal and rivets in a class by Tracy Stanley.  Hmmm… do you think I could name-drop any more? 

 Glass and wire compliment each other perfectly, and I hope to bring you some interesting pieces that garner a lot of compliments for you!