At work on the torch	Elizabeth Cannon started Bella Originals in the fall of 2000, after graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in Landscape Architecture.  Soon after graduation she knew she was in a field that would not keep her happy for long.  She yearned to spend her days creating beautiful and unique glass beads, an art she learned in the spring of 2000 .  With beads as her passion , Bella Originals was created!!     Elizabeth’s journey with jewelry began in the summer of 1998 when she studied abroad in Cortona, Italy .  While there, she studied silversmithing and the ancient art of wax casting.  Jewelry was definitely where her heart was, but Elizabeth wasn’t sure she was working with the right medium.  A trip to Venice, the home of Murano glass, peaked her interest in glass and beads.  Upon returning home Elizabeth found a two day class that would teach her to make her own beads!  Since that fateful weekend, Elizabeth has hardly touched silver her heart belongs to glass
The word Bella, Italian for “beautiful,” pays respect to the inspiration behind Elizabeth’s love for making beads and jewelry.      Since the inception of Bella Originals, the business has grown steadily.  Elizabeth sells her work through her web site BellaOriginals.com and in stores throughout the South East. You can also catch her at different art shows in the South.Elizabeth has recently been featured in the book  1000 Glass Beads: A study in contemporary glass beadmaking, published by Lark Books.   Elizabeth makes her beads through a process known as lampworking- an ancient craft that has been modernized over time.  Glass rods are heated until molten and wrapped around a stainless steel mandrel, which forms the bead.  By layering colors and shaping the molten glass Elizabeth creates unique and one of a kind.		Disk bead cluster