Gisèle Beaulieu stumbled across glass bead making when she went looking for a way to use up the glass remnants from her and her husband`s stained glass business.

She was instantly attracted to the glass beads and the potential to turn them into jewlery. She bought some books and equipment, took a course on glass bead making and opened her studio in 2003. She also participated in a five week workshop with Davide Penso in Murano, Italy.

To create her jewelry, Gisèle heats the imported Italian Effetre glass rods with a torch and rolls the melted glass around a mandrel, a metal rod with a “powdered” coating at the end. When the bead has been crafted, it’s baked in a kiln and then assembled into a piece of finely handcrafted jewelry.

Gisèle’s studio is in Barriefield and she happily makes appointments for people to come and view and buy her work. She also opens her studio for walk in tours on special occasions.

To make an appointment with Gisèle, you can call her at 613-483-2736.