Capturing nostalgic moments in layers of glass is what drives Lydia Muell's ambition as an artist of fine lampwork beads and wearable art glass jewelry. Her mission is to create pieces that invoke a reminiscence of rich classical elegance. In addition, she also uses her talents to create lampwork beaded fan pulls, lamp finials, wine stoppers, perfume vessels and other wonderful treasures.

In her short three years as a glass bead artisan, Lydia Muell has achieved a great deal of recognition for her work. Her beads have been likened to the "Faberge Egg" and her recognizable style has landed her features in several art glass magazines. During her journey as a lampwork bead artist, she discovered her talent as jewelry designer. Incorporating her tiny glass treasures into finished pieces became another of her passions. Each piece of her jewelry is hand crafted, using her own personal lampwork bead collection, sterling silver findings and fine quality semi precious gemstones. Her designs are most inspired by her love of decorative arts from the Rococo, Neoclassical, and Art Nouveau periods.

For Lydia, creative expression is as vital to her existence as food and water. Ignoring her passion for the art world, she went to business college and on to enjoy corporate careers in transportation and sales. In her spare time, she enjoyed reading and learning about ancient architecture, period furniture design, and recovered civilizations that were once lost. As an "oil on canvas" painter, the ideas of authentic fresco excited her as did the art of trompe l'oeil. She learned both techniques and went on to enjoy commissioned work for interior projects on a part time basis. Although she enjoyed the work, the idea of doing if full time didn't really appeal to her but served as a creative outlet that she needed to indulge.

Looking back, it seems that she had always been looking for that art form that would allow her unlimited creative expression. One afternoon in May of 2005, while shopping at a local glass shop for mosaic tiles, she stumbled upon some brightly colored glass rods. The shop owner explained that they were for making glass lampwork beads. She left his shop with a hothead torch, some glass rods, mandrels and bead release. The first time that she "fired up" that torch she was hooked. Glass bead and jewelry making are now her full time focus and she is thrilled to be selling her work as a full time job.

Much of Lydia's time is spent teaching herself techniques and color reactions. Learning those things have been key to her being the best lampwork artist that she can be. They allow her to reach within herself to find something new and exciting to project into her work. An eclectic person by nature, she can't even tell you what her favorite colors are because they seem to change on a daily basis. She loves the straight and clean lines that are found in classical architecture, while also enjoying the whimsy that is seen in vintage French iron work. As a result her direction in color and design will change often in her work. She is thankful for this because anticipating her next creation allows her to hit the floor running to get to her studio to once again "fire up" that torch.