hand made Lampwork Beads and Jewelry,

 

Lampwork Beads are hand made glass beads that are created by melting glass rods with a torch.         

 

Flameworking is another term that is used when describing this process. 

Each  lampwork bead is created  by me in my home glass garden studio. Each bead is created one by one by one by melting glass rods and chips of colored glass called  frit on to a metal mandrel. I melt different colored glass on to a metal rod to create beads in different shapes, sizes and patterns, with my torch.  Special effects are added to make each lampwork bead  fun, funky, delicate or contemorary. Each bead is  a one of a kind.  I hope you enjoy my hand crafted lampwork beads and the one of a kind jewelry designs I create with these beads. .

 

  When I sit down to create a lampwork bead, I turn on the ventilation system in my studio, I wear protective eye wear to protect my eyes from both the flame and the occasional flying glass. I heat up my Paragon digitally controlled  kiln so my glass beads can be properly annealed (slow controlled cool)  to make them strong and beautiful.  My colorful glass rods are melted on to a mandrel.   A mandrel is a long thin steel rod that is coated with a mud like mixture which will allow the bead to be removed easily.

 

After each lampwork bead is properly annealed in the kiln, it is carefully inspected for imprefections.  All the perfect beads are then cleaned and prepared to become part of a new one of a kind jewelry creation.  All my imperfect beads help fill the flower vases in my home and studio.

 

  

Welcome to my cape cod glass garden bead studio!