Using Helios Double Helix Glass

My double helix glass arrived yesterday and I couldn’t wait to open the package.  Once inside, the Helios glass was an unassuming pale amber colour and could easily be mistaken for a rod of Effetre amber glass if it got mixed up – I labelled mine just to be on the safe side.

The best thing was playing with this glass (I’ve used a rod already!).  The following beads were made by making a small spacer bead using the Helios glass.  I waited until it had cooled as far as I could, then flashed it in a reducing flame until I had a lovely golden shine.  I then wrapped the bead in clear 006 Effetre glass, which gave subtle blue and amber hues within. I finished the bead by adding the Helios bumps.  This is where the fun really started as I kept flashing the bead in and out of the flame until there was a lovely reflective gold with a hint of rose pink depending on how the light caught in the bead.  Here they are!

Helios Lampwork Bumpy Beads

I do think that it has very similar properties to Double Helix Aurea, but the shine is so lovely!

Sample Helios Lampwork Beads

The two beads at the back were flashed in a reducing flame until I got the colour I wanted, which is a gold lustre with a hint of pink.  The bead on the left was heavily reduced and encased in clear.  The small lampwork bead was only flashed once in a reducing flame and is still translucent, unlike the large round beads.  I quite like the heavily reduced bead as there seems to be some lovely subtle yellow-orange colours in it.

Have fun!