The Creating Of A Glass Bead

Lampworking is a centuries old technique of making glass beads. Older traditional methods involved the use of oil lamps, hence the name "lampworking".

I heat rods of glass in the torch until molten, while winding around a steel mandrel. The mandrel creates the hole through the bead. The glass is shaped, decorated and flame polished.

When I am satisfied with this little treasure, I place it into a kiln which runs through an annealing cycle. This process takes four to five hours. The temperature starts at 960 degrees, and slowly ramps down to 500 degrees, then off, and left to cool. This process relieves the stress in the glass that the heating and manipulation has created, making them strong and durable. After annealing, the beads are removed from the mandrels and cleaned with a diamond drill bit.