KRISTY BELL is a lamkwork bead artist and jewelry designer.

The term lampwork came about several hundred years ago. On the island of Murano, off the coast of Italy, artisans developed a technique of forcing air through an oil lamp to make the flame hot enough to melt glass. Thus the term lampworking evolved. The process was kept a secret through several generations of bead makers. Today's bead and glass artist use a torch at 1200" to soften and shape the glass.

In 2002 Kristy read an article about bead making and thought, wow, that looks like fun. After all it would be just one more of the many creative art medians that she has delved into. After one lesson with a very talented artist from Taos, New Mexico she was hooked. Hours of practice and hundreds of beads of all shapes and sizes, question was what to do with them? Why not make jewelry. She made a few creations just for fun and guess what? A close friend saw them and wanted to buy one. Overnight a business was born. Kristy started by selling a few items to family and friends. Eventually, she tried a few art shows. After her husband's retirement, they jumped into it full time. Besides participating in juried shows throughout the summer, Kristy is an owner/artist of the CCA Gallery in Zionsville, IN and also has items on display and for sale at the Art on the Square Gallery in Greensburg, IN. She has greatly improved her designs through hard work and lessons from several world renowned glass artists.

All of Kristy's beads are handmade by her in the studio that David, her husband built. She uses Effetre (Moretti) glass and Vetrofond (Murano) glass. Immediately, after the bead is created it is put into a digitally controlled kiln that allows it to cool properly, thus avoiding stress cracks. The last process is cleaning and inspecting for quality.