What is lampwork ?

"Lampwork" is the art of making glass beads, little handmade wonders.

How are they made ?

Lampwork beads are produced by melting glass onto a mandrel in front of a hot flame and then manipulating the molten glass with the use of tools or gravity. Different effects are then achieved by adding layers of different coloured glass. They are then placed in a kiln and annealed to ensure strength and durability.

Are they the same as i've seen on Ebay ?

Depends, you may of come across a few lampwork artists on Ebay but the chances are you've found mass produced lampwork beads from China or India. 

Whats the difference ?

Mass produced lampwork beads are produced en masse, by groups of people in workshops. They are not "artisan" and tend to be low in quality, they can still contain bead release (a dusty clay like substance) and there is a lot of evidence to suggest they are not annealed so this means they will eventually crack.

But they look so pretty !

The problem is a lot of genuine artisits have their bead pictures lifted from their websites and used by these people as auction pictures. What you then get is an attempt at a copy.

How can i tell ?  

Sometimes its difficult, but here are a few pointers.

A good indication is the price. Mass produced beads cost pennies, which is why they are so attractive to the potential customer. Quality artisan lampwork is more expensive, but it is definately worth it.

Genuine artisits don't tend to sell hundreds of bead sets in one go, if buying off ebay check the feedback, if people are commenting that the beads arrived "cracked / broken" or "not like pictures" then steer clear.  

If searching on Ebay put SRA / UKBM or FHF in the search box, this will narrow down your search to artists registered on different forums.

If your are interested in purchasing handmade artisan lampwork please go to the Lampwork Directory.