Lily, Lady of Lampwork

“I was immediately blown over by the floral beads I found; I was amazed by just how beautiful beads could look!”

HAVING HEARD BRIEFLY about the history of Lily Dickson, I was undeniably intrigued to find out more about this seemingly mammoth metamorphosis … and discovered in the process that such a curious career conversion was not so strange after all.

I managed to squeeze in a spot to speak with Lily the day before she was due to fly to Sydney to show off her wares at the Sydney Bead and Gem Show.

So how did it all start?

“Well, I had completed my postgraduate degree in biotechnology and began working on the cellular side of cancer research. After six and a half years, I took time off to have my children – James, now 11, and Jessica, aged 9. Whilst Jess was in kindy, I came across some Swarovski crystals and