Hi - My name is Patty Miller and I have always loved beads! I designed jewelry for years with care to size,shape and texture of the beads to make the piece perfect. Well, now I melt glass and make the beads I use in my designs! I have enjoyed multiple art mediums as life has led me down various paths of artistic endeavors ( ceramics, metal working, clay sculpture, clothing design) and eventually into jewelry design 16 years ago. Eight years ago a friend introduced me to lampworking and it has been true love ever since.

My beads are handcrafted one-by-one in my home studio in Knoxville, Tennesee, are always carefully cleaned, and kiln annealed to ensure you enjoy your purchase for years to come. Unless otherwise noted in my item description, my beads are all created on 3/32" mandrels. My beads are made from Effetre (Moretti), Vetrofond, CIM, Reichenbach, Double Helix, and/or Lauscha glass, then annealed in a digitally controlled kiln for lasting durability. I use a Nortel Mid Range Burner torch fueled with propane and my oxygen source is an Airsep 5LPM oxygen concentrator.

Fused glass designs made in the kiln can be very tiny or very large - very simple or very intricate and complex. After I design a piece it is put in the kiln and fired through a 4 phase cycle and the glass is annealed in the process. The firing temperatures and holding times can vary causing different results in appearance and shape which are used as part of the design process.

My jewelry incorporates only the finest components: no plated metal, my own handmade glass beads, sterling silver, copper,brass,gold-filled, ornate Bali and Thai silver, genuine gemstones and Swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls,etc. I will spend hours choosing various textures, shapes, colors and materials to create individual pieces that are truly distinctive and unique. I check every pearl, stone and metal component insuring color, quality, size and consistency and then design and construct each piece with painstaking care and attention to detail.

A word of caution. Beware of labels that describe types of silver, for example, nickel silver contains no actual silver. It’s just a name for a specific nickel copper alloy. Names like “Mexican Silver”, “German Silver,” “Indian Silver,” “Montana Silver,” and even, believe it or not, the word “silver” all by itself do not actually guarantee any silver content. “German Silver” is another name for the alloy of copper, nickel and zinc (it was a derogatory term in the 1800s), and today this blend is called Nickel Silver. Despite the name, Nickel Silver contains no silver & its price is appoximately 60 times cheaper than Sterling Silver.

I love glass and metals together so I work to incorporate my glasswork with wire working, metal working and precious metal clay. There is no limit to what you can do with silver clay and now there is bronze and copper clay as well! I love the earthiness of the bronze and copper and will be playing with them for sure!

2009 Plum Loco who showed us sculptural tecniques which challenged me and helped me develop a fearlessness of breaking glass so I can focus on creativity

I am also a member of the online artist communities Lampwork Etc., Wet Canvas, Society of International Jewelry Artisans and I am published in The Annealer Magazine.com as the featured jewelry designer.