Lampwork

Along with semi-precious stones, lampwork beads are one of my favourites materials to use in my designs.

To create glass beads, lampworkers melt narrow rods of glass with the flame of a torch. The molten glass is wound around a mandrel, a thin length of stainless steel. The space occupied by the mandrel becomes a hole through the bead.

Turning the mandrel and holding it in different positions allows gravity to help the bead take form, but tools are also used to push and pull glass beads into shape. The beads are then placed in a kiln and annealed (heat treated) to ensure strength and durability.

Lampworking is a skill that takes a great deal of practice and patience. A lampwork bead artist understands the glass and the torch, and must learn how much heat it takes for glass to flow, how much heat can be applied to a bead that's already shaped before it becomes molten again and loses shape, when to add decorative elements and how different colours of glass interact with each other.

Hand crafted glass beads can be as plain or as decorative as the artist likes. Multiple layers of glass are often used, switching colours to create the desired look. Small dots of color can be left as bumps on the bead's surface or plunged into the centre where they form floral-like designs.

I am sure that once you have worn a piece of lampwork bead jewellery that you will love these mini works of art as much as I do!