OT - Can you help me find...

Many of you know that I teach flameworking at the Toledo Museum of
Art. I also take glassblowing classes there, and will also be taking
metalsmithing and a zillion other things.

What you may not know is that the Toledo Museum has been a home away
from home for me my whole life. I participated in the Saturday
enrichment classes there all through grade school, both music and art.
To this day, when I walk in the door, I'm whisked back in time by the
sights and smells. Those days spent at the Museum were some of the
happiest of my young life.

Before all the elaborate gift shops and such, the museum had a candy
counter type thing in the grand entrance: Neccos for a nickle,
off-brand LifeSavers... Better than all of the candy put together was
a magical little hollow seed with a stopper. Inside the seed were a
dozen teeny tiny itsy bitsy carved elephants!!!!

Every week, I would look longingly at the little seeds, but they were
a quarter. I only had my emergency telephone money, so I couldn't get
one. I started saving every penny, literally, that I could get my
little hands on and, eventually, was able to take one of the seeds
home with me.

It was tiny. I was seven. Before long, I couldn't find my little seed.
I really want one. I promise I will take better care of this one. Can
you guys help me find one?

There's one on eBay, but it's lost most of its elephants. I wonder if
they're still made?

Tink
Check here for available work:
http://blackswampglassworks.com/latest.htm

OH MY GOODNESS!!! It is 2 am and I am still up - my son turned 25 on
the 18th - yesterday, his wife and I gave him a surprise BD party and
now I am all keyed up . Anyway, I came across this post - and for
the last half hour I have searched the web to see what the heck this
magical bead is! I did find the ebay auction - what a cute, strange
and exotic item!

No matter what search engine I used I couldn't find one like it, you
may have to settle for the one elephant - poor lonely guy . It looks
like they don't make them anymore, how sad, since they are so
different. You could even figure out a way to put a small hole in the
stopper and wear it. Sooooo cool!
Denise
Glitzy Glass Studio
http://www.glassbeadz.com

Hey, I did manage to find the one site out there with real info!
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/plmar97.htm

Great pictures, too!

The seed that's used for these kind of turns this from off-topic to
on-topic. Here are a couple of quotes from the site:

Thousands of years ago, goldsmiths of Asia used the red seeds in their
scales to weigh precious gems, gold and silver. A pearl or diamond
weighing 20 grains would be roughly equivalent in weight to five shiny
Circassian seeds.

Circassian seeds are very similar in shape and size, and have a
remarkably uniform weight of about four grains. It takes about four
seeds to make one gram and approximately 109 of them to make an ounce.

I love surprise birthday parties! It sounds like you had fun :-)

On 18 Dec 2004 23:22:30 -0800, "Glitzy Glass"
wrote:

OH MY GOODNESS!!! It is 2 am and I am still up - my son turned 25 on
the 18th - yesterday, his wife and I gave him a surprise BD party and
now I am all keyed up . Anyway, I came across this post - and for
the last half hour I have searched the web to see what the heck this
magical bead is! I did find the ebay auction - what a cute, strange
and exotic item!

No matter what search engine I used I couldn't find one like it, you
may have to settle for the one elephant - poor lonely guy . It looks
like they don't make them anymore, how sad, since they are so
different. You could even figure out a way to put a small hole in the
stopper and wear it. Sooooo cool!
Denise
Glitzy Glass Studio
http://www.glassbeadz.com


Tink
Check here for available work:
http://blackswampglassworks.com/latest.htm

Tink, my mother had one. It was a red seed, with an ivory stopper, and hers
had an entire circus inside--not just elephants. All carved from ivory. My
memory is fuzzy on this, but I want to say she either gave it to me, or let
me borrow it for a while, because I seem to recall showing it to Dare, when
he was maybe two years old. I don't have it in my posession now, and I'm
hoping like mad that she has it, because you are absolutely right--those
little seeds are magical.

I wish I knew where to find an artisan that creates these treasures. If you
do come across one, please do let me know?

~Candace~

"Tinkster" wrote in message
...
Many of you know that I teach flameworking at the Toledo Museum of
Art. I also take glassblowing classes there, and will also be taking
metalsmithing and a zillion other things.

What you may not know is that the Toledo Museum has been a home away
from home for me my whole life. I participated in the Saturday
enrichment classes there all through grade school, both music and art.
To this day, when I walk in the door, I'm whisked back in time by the
sights and smells. Those days spent at the Museum were some of the
happiest of my young life.

Before all the elaborate gift shops and such, the museum had a candy
counter type thing in the grand entrance: Neccos for a nickle,
off-brand LifeSavers... Better than all of the candy put together was
a magical little hollow seed with a stopper. Inside the seed were a
dozen teeny tiny itsy bitsy carved elephants!!!!

Every week, I would look longingly at the little seeds, but they were
a quarter. I only had my emergency telephone money, so I couldn't get
one. I started saving every penny, literally, that I could get my
little hands on and, eventually, was able to take one of the seeds
home with me.

It was tiny. I was seven. Before long, I couldn't find my little seed.
I really want one. I promise I will take better care of this one. Can
you guys help me find one?

There's one on eBay, but it's lost most of its elephants. I wonder if
they're still made?

Tink
Check here for available work:
http://blackswampglassworks.com/latest.htm

Tink - they are popular with the Indians

and we have many around here.
My best friend's other "best friend" is Indian.

I'll see if Asha can get you one.
Cheryl
DRAGON BEADS
Flameworked beads and glass
http://www.dragonbeads.com/

Oh! I have one! My mother gave it to me - it was hers from when she was
little. I think there are only 2-3 elephants left in it too. I hope you
find one because it IS such a magical little treasure. I'll keep my eyes
open for one for you too.

--
Pam Brisse
The Blue Between - handcrafted jewelry and bead art
http://www.bluebetween.com

"Tinkster" wrote in message
...
Many of you know that I teach flameworking at the Toledo Museum of
Art. I also take glassblowing classes there, and will also be taking
metalsmithing and a zillion other things.

What you may not know is that the Toledo Museum has been a home away
from home for me my whole life. I participated in the Saturday
enrichment classes there all through grade school, both music and art.
To this day, when I walk in the door, I'm whisked back in time by the
sights and smells. Those days spent at the Museum were some of the
happiest of my young life.

Before all the elaborate gift shops and such, the museum had a candy
counter type thing in the grand entrance: Neccos for a nickle,
off-brand LifeSavers... Better than all of the candy put together was
a magical little hollow seed with a stopper. Inside the seed were a
dozen teeny tiny itsy bitsy carved elephants!!!!

Every week, I would look longingly at the little seeds, but they were
a quarter. I only had my emergency telephone money, so I couldn't get
one. I started saving every penny, literally, that I could get my
little hands on and, eventually, was able to take one of the seeds
home with me.

It was tiny. I was seven. Before long, I couldn't find my little seed.
I really want one. I promise I will take better care of this one. Can
you guys help me find one?

There's one on eBay, but it's lost most of its elephants. I wonder if
they're still made?

Tink
Check here for available work:
http://blackswampglassworks.com/latest.htm

I can't tell you how excited I am at the prospect of this! Thank you!

On 19 Dec 2004 17:25:11 GMT, eads (Cheryl) wrote:

Tink - they are popular with the Indians

and we have many around here.
My best friend's other "best friend" is Indian.

I'll see if Asha can get you one.
Cheryl
DRAGON BEADS
Flameworked beads and glass
http://www.dragonbeads.com/


Tink
Check here for available work:
http://blackswampglassworks.com/latest.htm

10 years or so, I saw some of those at the Peabody museum gift shop. The one
at Harvard with the Natural History and the anthropology.
http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/ .
-Ellen

Cute related story:
http://www.disneypov.com/issue03/elephants.html

Tink
Check here for available work:
http://blackswampglassworks.com/latest.htm

I found a site on the web selling the elephant beans...

http://www.thetoyboat.com/product_in...roducts_id=172
Cheryl
DRAGON BEADS
Flameworked beads and glass
http://www.dragonbeads.com/