These polymer pillow beads from Austria’s Martina Mahdavi form a delicate collar and the dramatic photo of her young neck shows the piece off to great advantage. It looks like the last of the summer sky is reflected in this cloud-like choker. Martina has a continuing fascination with making lightweight beads that you can track on her Flickr page.

When you see the photos of the Austrian and Bulgarian clay groups, it’s easy to understand the energy and fresh polymer ideas coming out of this part of the world.