When I first began beading, I didn’t know what a lampwork bead was. I now know they’re little works of art, and the best are handmade, not factory made, by artisans all over the world. The beads are made by melting rods of glass over a flame from a gas-powered torch with either air or oxygen as the oxidizer. The beads are then put in a kiln to be annealed, or slowly cooled to avoid thermal shock.
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| My own kiln and torch. |
There are two types of glass — soft glass, or soda lime glass, and borosilicate glass, commonly known as boro glass. Soft glass melts at lower temperatures, while boro glass melts at higher temps, requires a hotter torch, and the glass rods are more costly.
Today I’m going to show you some beautiful lampwork beads found on Etsy. Enjoy!
“Red Sky at Night” by Blue Lagoon Beads
“Wagga Wagga” by Helen Chalmers
“Thrill in Brazil” beads by Amie3
“Tequila Sunrise” by Silver Reflection
“Bottom of the Sea” by Mandella Glass
I hope you’ve enjoyed my choices, and be sure to check the handmade supplies section at Etsy for more lampwork beads!
Lori Anderson writes the blog Pretty Things and creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs. She is also the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party.
Cillaw
July 27, 2011 at 12:59 pmWhat a beautiful post.
Nice to see some new artists featured.
Cilla
Linda Starr
July 27, 2011 at 1:40 pmBeautiful, love the bottom of the sea bead.
KayzKreationz
July 27, 2011 at 2:04 pmWhat beautiful beads. I've never wanted to try making my own lampwork beads, mainly because I'm afraid of the torch. But those are just outstanding. Love "Tequila Sunrise" Thanks
Sally Anderson
July 27, 2011 at 9:50 pmThat Bottom of the Sea is amazing. It's almost like some something done with resin because it has such depth and such detail. WoW! Thanks for showing all these goodies.
Lupe Meter
July 27, 2011 at 11:47 pmBeautiful beads! My favorites are the Tequilla Sunrise one and Red Sky at Night! Amazing work by some amazing artists!
Silver Parrot
July 28, 2011 at 11:03 pmOh gosh…like I really needed more fuel for my complete and utter addiction to lampwork! Thanks for the "enabling."
KJ
Copper Diem
July 31, 2011 at 6:43 pmthose are some great finds! love all that gorgeous glass!