ABOUT LAMPWORK

I have been collecting hand crafted artisan lampwork beads from reputable, self representing lampworkers for some time now. Due to the uniqueness and artistic talent, not to mention the incredible amount of time and money many of these torchers spend learning their craft, these beads can be, and usually are, quite expensive. These beads are kiln annealed, which means they are "cured", held for a specific amount of time at a certain temperature in a preheated kiln, usually computer controlled to ensure accuracy during the cool down phase, to properly and slowly cool down the glass beads ensuring a very strong and durable finished product. Each one of these little hand blown glass beads is truly a work of art in and of itself.

I also use a lot of borosilicate lampwork glass beads in my designs. Borosilicate (aka Boro) glass is a very unique and specialized variety of glass. Its composition is different from the "soft" glass that is normally used for beads, resulting in a much stronger finished piece. Although more expensive than a softer glass, Boro offers some amazingly gorgeous color spectrums when viewed in different types of light, but the colors are most dynamic & vibrant in direct sunlight.

Please be aware that not all lampwork beads are created equal. While there is quite obviously a market for mass produced, cheap imported lampwork (mostly from Asia), as a consumer, you should know that most imported mass produced lampwork beads are made in sweatshop/child labor type of factories, created by men, women & yes, even children making pennies a day and living in inhuman camp style lodgings during their work week, which consists of 50-70 hours/week, unsanitary factory & living conditions. Most - nearly all, of these beads are not kiln annealed, which makes their strength questionable, they are likely to break, usually within very short order. Sometimes all it takes is a slight shift in temperature to cause them to fracture, or even completely crumble. Any designer who uses mass imported beads cannot guarantee the strength or durability of any of their designs made with these beads. and any designer who uses mass imported lampwork has a moral & ethical obligation to price their work accordingly. Some of these lampwork beads are available at price ranges of $5.00 -$6.00 per set of 12 or even more beads.

Consumers do have the right to question a jewelry designer about any lampwork bead that the designer has chosen to use in their designs. Find out where the bead(s) comes from, who the artisan was who created it.