The Glass Bead Maker

The glass bead maker was one of the first artisans to settle in Ribe. He and his wife arrive every year on the market place and work their blue glass from Anatolia and colourful Italian mosaic tiles into highly popular glass beads.

Many market guests find that it resembles pure magic when the small squarish tiles change their shape and colour and become luminescent in the furnace before they are shaped one by one around the iron rod and become pearls. Some pearls are inlaid with stripes, spots or other patterns before they are carefully cooled… this process can often take all night.

The glass bead maker is concentrating hard on her work but smiles to herself as she hears the words; “Come on now, we have to see the other sights as well!”