What are Lampwork Glass Beads?
The term “lampwork” can be confusing if you aren’t familiar with this genre of artisan bead, but the word is a throwback to ancient days when glass was melted over the flame of an oil lamp and formed into beads.
Contemporary lampworking is now a very popular art form that has seen a “rebirth” in the past couple of decades. Most lampwork beads today are made using the “wound” method; that is, the molten glass is wound around a steel mandrel over the flame of a lampwork torch. There are also some artisans that make “drawn” beads, or furnace glass.
An important thing to note about lampwork, as with all popular art forms, is that increasingly artist-designed beads are being copied by Chinese factories that mass produce them using sub-standard methods and materials, and sold for cut-rate prices. You can even find Chinese lampwork in such popular stores as Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s, and even your local bead stores. Some of these bead manufacturers go so far as to copy text and descriptions from popular artists’ websites in order to describe their low-quality beads.
The thing to realize about Chinese lampwork is that you get what you pay for. While the prices are attractive, the quality is not. The beads are made quickly, they are not cleaned of the chalky residue in the hole, they are not annealed (despite the fact that some manufacturers claim that they are), and the bead holes are typically rough or jagged (and can cut your string or beading wire).
If you plan to market to people who don’t want to pay you very much for your jewelry designs, Chinese lampwork may be the way to go unless you can make your own lampwork. However, if you want to attract high-end customers who are willing to pay premium prices for your jewelry designs, you should consider using artisan-made lampwork beads.
How do you find a good lampwork artist? Many lampwork artists are members of a trade association called International Society for Glass Beadmakers, or ISGB. Lampwork artists are also featured in many of the popular bead magazines such as Bead and Button or Step by Step Beads, or they also advertise in these magazines. On EBay, many lampwork artisans use the designation “SRA” in the titles of their auctions. SRA stands for “Self Representing Artist.” Also, you can find a lot of lampworkers in online communities set up for them such as Lampwork Etc.
The thing to remember about lampwork is that you often get what you pay for. I’ve seen single focal lampwork beads sell for as much as $300 (such as Pati Walton murrini beads) and bead sets sell for as much as $2,000 (Kim Neely of Bluff Road Art Glass). You don’t have to spend that much – you can easily find a good quality focal bead or bead sets for under $50. But remember, if you aren’t using good quality beads in your jewelry piece, it may be difficult to charge high-end prices for your work unless you are a well-known and popular jewelry artist.
