Veneta Simpson's Glass Jewelry

A mile north of Venice, Italy, is a series of islands called Murano. Linked by bridges within the Venetian Lagoon, Murano is renowned for its glassmaking, a process its artisans have perfected over centuries.

Richly colored and with distinctive and unique patterns, Murano glass -- in the right hands -- transforms into one of a kind beads, which are then set into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

A pair of those right hands belongs to Veneta Simpson, a jewelry artist from Richland who uses a torch to melt the glass at 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, then shapes it with tools and hand sculpting into beads of all sizes, shapes, and forms.

"I'm always trying to mold glass into different forms," Simpson says of her creative process. "I usually am inspired by a set of colors or challenged by a shape, and when I master it, I try to make enough beads to make a complete jewelry set at once.

"I get on a roll and my imagination carries me into the night until I feel I've enough beads for the project I've designed in my head or sketched on paper."

Working out of a remodeled storage shed that she transformed into a fairy-tale looking cottage, Simpson has reported "melting away" for up to eight hours, until her companion dog, Oreo, informs her that he's had enough and is ready to go out and play.

A selection of Simpson's sophisticated jewelry is on display at Wenaha Gallery, 219 East Main in Dayton, through Sept. 8. Each necklace and earring set (which may be purchased separately) is stunningly individual, reflecting creative color combinations that are part of Simpson's signature style.

Wenaha Gallery is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.