Process
Welcome to 3Graces Jewelry! Each piece is created one-piece-at-a-time and all designs are one-of-a-kind originals created by me- Shana Roxanne McGovern in my glass studio in Columbus, Ohio. I take pride in excellent craftsmanship, original designs, and attention to the smallest sparkling detail. Many of these beaded artworks showcase multiple processes in lampwork and fused glass artistry combined with seed bead weaving and wire wrapping techniques. As you read the descriptions for each piece of 3Graces Jewelry, you will better understand the work involved if you read the information listed below on how your original was created.

Lampwork Glass Beads-Made In The Torch
Many of the beads used in 3Graces Jewelry I create myself using the ancient and traditional craft of glass lampworking. These glass bead-making techniques require both a torch flame and a kiln. The process of making these glass beads begins by carefully winding molten glass from a high temperature torch flame around a stainless steel rod called a mandrel. Each bead is then formed and embellished with different colors of glass rods directly in the flame. When the hot glass bead is finished and removed from the flame, it must be put in a kiln and carefully slow cooled to room temperature. As I form each bead, I learn more about the properties of the glass and how to push and pull it into its own distinctive shape. This allows me to create visually captivating and truly unique designs. I try to capture the magical charm glass emanates in every piece I design.


Fused Glass Beads & Cabochons-Made In The Kiln.
Through the process of fusing, I make pendant style glass beads and cabochons (a piece of art glass that is domed like a small tile, but has no hole like a bead). This glass bead making technique requires the use of kilns, a grinder and a special diamond blade saw. Colorful Italian sheet glass is cut, nipped and layered into unique designs on a ceramic kiln shelf. The glass is then fired in the kiln and slow cooled to room temperature. To achieve depth in the glass, multiple firings between layers is necessary. Often times, I will incorporate lampwork glass parts into my fused glass beads. After multiple layering and firings in the kiln, the glass is then cut and ground to create the overall shape of the bead or cabochon. The final fusing process involves re-firing the glass in the kiln for a smooth fire polished edge.


Beading, Bead Weaving, & Bead Collecting
3Graces Jewelry incorporates several different bead weaving techniques which I have learned over seventeen years and continue to develop. These techniques include peyote stitch, spiral stitch, brick stitch, wire wrapping, and kumihimo just to name a few. Blending these beading techniques with the glass artistry I create in the torch and kiln, enhances each creation, giving each piece it’s own identity and personality. Beads use to complete each piece of jewelry include, Swarovski Austrian crystal (new and rare), Japanese glass seed beads, semi-precious gemstones, vintage glass, sterling sliver and vermeil. The blend of my love of glass artistry, unique jewelry components, and combined beading techniques make 3Graces Jewelry truly one-of-a-kind originals.

Why did you pick the name 3Graces Jewelry for your business?
The truth is, I was in an eclectic book store when I spied this beautiful book of Greco-Roman mythology and opened the pages randomly to a painting of The 3Graces. I was struck by their beautiful jewelry, Italian renaissance fashion and the story which said the 3Graces were the daughters of Zeus. They possessed beauty, charm, dignity, mirth and of course, the obvious-grace. As well as embodying these virtues, the goddesses were believed to have the power to bestow them upon deserving humans. The 3Graces were said to accompany Venus as they are depicted in the Sandro Botticelli masterpiece Primavera, also known as the Allegory of Spring, which happens to be one of my favorite works of art ever made. I felt this inspiring story of the gift of genuine, feminine beauty to the world should be shared and celebrated. This is why I picked 3Graces as my business name, to remind me that beautifying the world is a gift to all who choose to receive it.