What's in a name?

Having spent much of the day pondering the name of a new bead, I'm pleased to introduce you to 'Quantum of Solace'. Sounds like a no-brainer? Let me explain. My Windows To The Soul beads are all named after songs, lyrics, poems.........any text that, at some point, somebody thought might be encouraging for somebody else. The idea behind the beads is that sometimes, our vision gets clouded (the etched parts), and we need to pull ourselves together to find a window to see out, remind ourselves that bright and beautiful things are all around us. A lot of responsibility for a little bead!

So out of the kiln comes a flowery something, with gold leaf, a core of green and pink. It wants a straightforward, pretty name, like the Secret Garden, with a straightforward story of prettiness that's inside everybody. I etch her....and she decides to kick up a fuss, and etch a titchy, tiny spot in the bit that's supposed to be clear. Now what? She's obviously not the straightforward little thing I took her to be.

In the end, I decided to try something I've never done before, to etch the whole bead, ever so slightly, to take the edge of the shine and blend the little mishap in. So, strictly speaking, there is no 'clear' window in this bead, everything is ever-so-slightly hazy. So, is this a Windows To The Soul bead? I think so. Because sometimes, even though you can see things perfectly clear, you prefer to skew them juuuuust a teensy-weensy bit, to blur boundaries, and see the world in a little daze. For peace of mind. A Quantum of Solace.