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FAQ's
How do I insure quality in each piece? TOP
I start with good glass. I like to use Italian Moretti, Lausha, Double Helix and CIM glass in my pieces. When finished, all lampworked beads are properly kiln annealed for several hours to ensure strength and durability of each piece.
Finished jewelry pieces are mounted on sterling silver or gold filled silver. Accents are with additional sterling silver, Swarovski or Czech glass, or gold filled pieces. What is lampwork and how are the beads actually made? TOP
It all starts by heating a long, thin rod of glass in the flame of a propane/oxygen fueled torch. The glass rods come in a variety of color compositions. I like to use Italian moretti glass, metallic foils and specialty reactive glasses.
As the glass gets molten, it is then wrapped around a mandrel (steel rod) that has been dipped in a clay based bead release.
The mandrel is then rolled and rotated (back and forth) to keep a uniform shape of the bead. The glass can be further manipulated with various tools to achieve the desired shape. Additional colors of glass and metallic foils/wire can be used to accent the surface of the base bead.
Once satisfied with your creation, the bead should then be put in a kiln for several hours to be annealed (cured) for strength and durability. This is done to prevent
stress cracks which can occur if the glass cools unevenly.
The next day, after the kiln has cooled off, go check out how your beads turned out. It's always exciting for me to see all the new beads. Then, I soak the mandrels in water, twist the bead off, and clean the bead release from inside the bead. It is now ready to be made into something wonderful! What is Frit? TOP
Frit is crushed particles of glass. It can vary from powder to tiny pieces. Glass is heated up on a mandrel and then rolled into the frit. The frit is then melted into the glass piece. |
