New Pattern: Circle Starburst Beaded Bead

I have two exciting announcements to unveil! First, my newest beaded bead pattern, the Circle Starburst, is finished:

This beaded bead was the result of months of experiments with ways to get lentil beads to hold firm in a dodecahedron structure, and I love how it ends up looking like an icosahedron. The above beaded bead was woven with Swarovski crystal circle pendants, sometimes called Rivoli pendants, article no. 6200 (the new Xilion cut is article no. 6428). These crystals really give the Circle Starburst a fantastic extra sparkle!

I've shown this one with teal glass lentils before, where I used a Southwestern color palette:

A neat variation on this beaded bead is that it is easily adaptable to larger lentils, such as those in the focal of this black and gold necklace:

I discuss how to make this larger beaded bead in the "Variations and Inspirations" section of the pattern.

The same variation is used in last year's Christmas ornament, which I've shown on this blog before.

The second part of this announcement is a that this pattern is available through an exclusive partnership with the talented Gwen Fisher and Florence Turnour of beAd Infinitum. I'm really excited about this partnership: I've admired Gwen and Florence's work ever since I began working in geometric beading, and their designs have had a huge influence on my development as a beader and an artist. It's an honor to have my Circle Starbrust pattern available alongside their fantastic designs that I've held in such high regard for so many years.

The Circle Starburst pattern is available here, and more Circle Starbursts can be seen in the beAd Infinitum Gallery. While you're there, check out the new Hour Glassy bead and Toggle Clasp and Cable designs!

As always, I'd love to see your own iterations on the Circle Starburst!

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