Lampworks Beads

Artisan Handmade Glass Beads - Lampwork


Lampworking is a type of glass work that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with a variety of tools and hand movements. It is also known as flame working or torch working, Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. It was not until the late 1960s that lampwork became recognized as a serious art form by German born lampwork glass artist Hans Godo Frabel who utilized his scientific glass blowing training to create relatively large pieces of lampwork glass art in borosilicate. Lampworking can be done with many types of glass, but the most common are soda-lime glass, sometimes called "soft glass" - and borosilicate glass, often called "hardglass." Different colors of glass must be carefully selected for compatibility with each other. Different major types of glass, e.g.,borosilicate and soda-lime glass are not compatible with each other. Chemically, some colors can react with each other when melted together. This may cause desirable effects in coloration, metallic sheen, or result in anesthetically pleasing "web effect". It also can cause undesirable effects such as unattractive discoloration, bubbling, or diversification. Borosilicate glass is considered more forgiving to work with, less apt to crack during flame working than soda-lime glass. However, it has a narrower working temperature range than soda-lime glass, has fewer available colors, and is considerably more expensive. Some of the renowned glass artisans featured in VP’s Jewelry are: Breezy Riggs Harvest Beads, Kalera Stratton - The Beadwife, Austin Hamilton Collection, Josh Bonazza – Juba Glass, and Rocky Mountain Beadworks. Throughout VP’s Jewelry you will find a great selection jewelry made with one-of-a-kind atisan lampworks beads . SHOP NOW

  

Each bead is handcrafted with care making great eye candy