Heart-shaped beads

I've been playing with this heart shape for my polymer clay beads over the last few weeks.  This shape offers a lot of possibilities and allows many variations. 



Surprisingly, forming these beads is more difficult than it looks.  The shape is not simple enough to be cut out by commercial cutters.  Cutting it by hand presents some challenges, especially for people who are perfectionists (like me)...














Anyway, I think I finally figured out not only how to make these beads consistently myself, but also how to explain the process to others.  I am working on a tutorial now and will be ready to offer it in my shop soon.

Added on 01/14/13:  This tutorial is now available in my Etsy shop.