Lampwork Bead---rectangular floral in cobalt blue and pink

Cobalt blue---literally, in this case, since cobalt in indeed the colorant---is a traditional favorite of glassworkers because it's such a pure, vivid color. I styled and shot this bead on end, which I think really helps to showcase the beauty and transparency of glass, one its qualities I strive for. I particularly like the way the semi-transparent pink in the flower petals visually mixes with the blue, creating a halo-effect of purple around the blossom. This bead represents a slightly new variation in my "crisp floral" series: to emphasize the rectangular bead, I've put flowers at the corners of the bead, which wraps the design around it more three-dimensionally.