Lampwork beadmaking has been around over 30,000 years.  Glass beads have dated back as far as Roman times.  Modern lampworking really started about 30 years ago but only got popular in the late 90s with a real resurgence within the last few years.  To put it simply, lampworking is the process of taking rods of glass and melting over an open flame, winding the glass on stainless steel rods coated in bead release which is a clay based product that allows us to remove the bead. 

I primarily use soda lime soft glass made by Italian, German, and USA manufacturers.  The italian glass makers are Vetrofond and Effetre.  Germany glass makers are Lauscha, Kugler and Reichenbach.  USA glass makers are Bullseye and some of the small boutique glass makers like Double Helix, R4, and Caliente.  There is also a new Chinese made glass called Creation is Messy or CIM. 

After a glass bead is formed in the fire, the beads need to be put into a kiln to be properly annealed.  Annealing is the process of bring the beads to the stress-point where the glass is still too hard to deform but soft enough for the molecules to flow.  The pieces are then soaked at that temperature until they are heated evenly throughout.  Then bringing the temperature back down very slowly.  The process takes many, many hours but is very necessary for the long lasting durability of the beads. 

Please never, never buy beads that have not been annealed.  They can crack and break when your least expecting it.  They are glass and could hurt someone.  Non-annealed beads are often found in cheap Chinese and Indian import beads.  Please only purchase from self-representing artists.

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