Those small flowers are not painted on. They are cross-sections.

Millefiori — Italian for a thousand flowers — is made by fusing coloured glass rods into a bundle, drawing that bundle out until it is pencil-thin, and slicing it. Each slice carries the pattern all the way through, like a stick of rock. Those slices are then pressed into a molten base bead and fired so they sit flush with the surface.

The technique is centuries old and still done by hand. It is why the flowers on these two beads sit in different places, at different angles, in different combinations.

Against the black base the colours read almost like confetti — yellow, red, cornflower blue, acid green. Two beads to an ear, wrapped in silver wire with hand-formed ear wires.

Surprisingly easy to wear for something this colourful, because the black does the grounding.

Details

• Two millefiori glass beads per earring
• Black base with multicolour flower cane inlay
• Silver-toned wire wrap and hand-formed ear wires
• Drop length approx. 1.5–2"
• Every bead's pattern is different
• Handmade in Mequon, Wisconsin

Care: Glass is durable but not indestructible — store away from hard surfaces. Wipe with a soft dry cloth.

A portion of every purchase supports organizations serving women and youth.