Lampwork beads are made with a type of soft glass or hard glass. This glass comes in rods about the thickness of a pencil. The rod is heated in the flame until it becomes soft, and then is manipulated on a metal rod called a mandrel into bead designs. The final step is a process called annealing which hardens the bead over several hours in a kiln. It's a time consuming and painstaking process that can take hours to complete depending on the complexity of the design.

The Lampwork Technique
Lampworking involves the process of melting glass in a hot flame on a steel mandrel. The molten glass is wound around the mandrel until the desired size and style are achieved. The flame used to melt the glass is produced by mixing gas, either natural or propane, and oxygen. Thus the flame produced is hot enough to melt glass. A torch is the primary tool for the flame. Once a bead is formed and the artist is finished with the actual creation process there are several more steps involved before the bead is ready to be used in fine jewelry. The bead is then placed in a kiln to start the annealing process. Annealing is the process of bringing down the temperature of the glass very slowly. Annealing makes a glass bead very strong and durable. When a bead is taken out of the kiln it is still on the steel mandrel. The cooled bead is soaked in water to soften the bead release agent. Once the bead is removed the holes are cleaned and filed. Artist made “Lampwork” glass beads are one-of-a-kind, and should be considered art work that is wearable. No two lampwork beads are identical.