What are Lampwork Beads?
Beads first appeared over 50,000 years ago, and since then have been made in every country from locally sourced materials. Many countries and regions developed their own techniques and designs closely guarding their manufacturing techniques and with thanks to the far-reaching Roman Empire, beads spread far and wide through their trading routes.The word "bead" comes from the Anglo-Saxon "bede" meaning prayer. Beads were worn as a display of wealth and a form of currency. Many of the wealthy had jewellery made from stones and/or precious metals that they could sell in times of hardship or pass down to family members. This beaded jewellery would indicate many things such as social or political status, age or marital status.To create glass (lampwork) beads lampworkers melt narrow rods of glass with the flame of a torch. The molten glass is wound around a thin length of stainless steel known as a mandrel. The space occupied by the mandrel becomes the hole through the bead. Turning the mandrel and holding it in various positions allows gravity to help the bead take form, tools are also used to help manipulate it into the desired shape and design. Lampwork beads can be as plain or as decorative as the artist desires, many layers of glass can be used, switching and combining colours to create varying effects. Dots of colours can also be used to enhance designs: they can be left as bumps on the bead’s surface or melted into the bead, fine lines are also possible when working with very small rods of glass.Lampworking is a detailed skill that takes a great deal of patience and practice. The artisan must understand the glass, the torch and their interaction: how much heat to apply, how different coloured glasses combine and when to apply decorative elements.It is of EXTREME importance to the integrity and strength of lampwork beads that they are kiln annealed. Glass contracts as it cools; bringing a bead out of the flame and leaving it in the open air allows the outside of the bead to cool rapidly however the inside of the bead remains extremely hot. The stress point between the cool, shrinking glass and the hot centre increases and often causes the bead to crack or even shatter.To prevent stress and cracks, beads must be cooled in a kiln, where temperatures can be closely monitored and regulated. The bead is placed in the kiln at a very high temperature to ensure it is heated evenly throughout, then over several hours (ideally overnight) the temperature is decreased to bring the bead (as a whole) evenly to room temperature.The appeal and allure of glass lampwork beads is their individuality. By virtue of the fact that each bead is individually hand crafted no two beads are the same - each is a little piece of art in itself!
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