Meet the maker Elaine Lorton

When I was young, school holidays were about hobbies...what would my hobby be next? As an adult this has stuck with me and I have moved between ceramics, mosaics, pmc, casting and then 9 years ago I started beading and making jewellery. My early efforts were off-loaded onto a variety of friends, family and acquaintances who have all put up with me very well.

Then, in 2005, I took a couple of classes in lampworked glass bead making and have been hooked ever since. Much of my jewellery is made using my own beads, annealed and then constructed from my home in Wiltshire. I still have a love of all things shiny and precious so I combine my beads (or sometimes no beads of my own at all) with swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls, hilltribe and bali silver, gem stones (preferably faceted) and anything else I find that I like the look of.

Everything went on hold in 2007 when I stopped my obsessive hobbying to have twin boys, joining a very proud 7 year old sister. So now my hobby is also my therapy and I manage to escape the house for a couple of hours, sit in the garage, plug into some music and make beautiful beads.

I hope that you like them too.