stones inside a bead?

[Irene]

Ive been thinking of perhaps take some very small stones that I find outside and push into glass and encase....  Would that be possible you think? Or will this just break.

[lampworklover]

I would think the problem would be that they cooled at a different rate to the glass, so you'd have cracking issues. You could make a hollow bead on a large mandrel and put them in afterwards though....

[Redhotsal]

Don't know about stones but I can advise that you can't put small fossils into glass. It all breaks up 

[ruth]

Go on Sal.... Tell us how you know.

[Redhotsal]

You get to learn these things pretty quickly when you are picking bits of shattered hot glass out of your face!

[Carefulkate]

Oh how awful hope it was ages ago and you are fine now x

[ajda]

It's going to depend on what the stone consists of as well as size, glass type and other factors. So, for example, you can encase artificial CZs in soft glass, though you may get cracking issues with larger ones and you can't use them at all with borosilicate glass. You can encase artificial opals in boro, but if you tried a natural opal it would most likely explode like Sal's fossils (ouch!) due to the water content... Maybe better get yourself a full-faced helmet before you start experimenting!

[ruth]

You get to learn these things pretty quickly when you are picking bits of shattered hot glass out of your face!

ouch,

[JKC]

I believe that you have to be careful putting stones in a kiln as they may contain moisture, which might make them crack or explode, so I would imagine there would be a similar danger in embedding them in lamp work.  Janet

[fionaess]

I have seen small lava rocks embedded in boro pendanta

[Steampunkglass]

I know tekites, cyantie and moldvite can be put into boro as they have a close enough C.O.E. - I've tried tekites and moldvite but it tends to melt a bit too much for my liking so I might as well use coloured boro instead. I've certainly seen pictures of people using lava too, but fresh lava is in a bit short supply in Essex for me to have a try with (else I would have by now!) 

[Irene]

We have a lot of 300 mill year old lava stones around where I live... and other types of stones as well, like granite. It would be only small stones of course, but I am not willing to risk my kiln! nor my face

[Redhotsal]

Hmm....I think a little pebble dashing has actually added character to my face. Not sure about my slightly singed Décolletage though....

[Skyblue]

I recently tried putting one of my puppies teeth that had fallen out, into a bead. The tooth sort of fell apart and I ended up with white patches all through the bead. It was fun trying though ! someone also asked me if I could put her babies first curl into a bead. I had to decline on that one, as I cant see any way of doing it , without frazzling the hair.

[Nicknack]

I recently tried putting one of my puppies teeth that had fallen out, into a bead. The tooth sort of fell apart and I ended up with white patches all through the bead. It was fun trying though ! someone also asked me if I could put her babies first curl into a bead. I had to decline on that one, as I cant see any way of doing it , without frazzling the hair.

As Lampworklover said above - hollow bead and add hair afterwards?  Or cheat and use resin.

Nick