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Lampwork Bead Buying Guide

Things to look out for when buying art glass or lampwork beads

* Kiln annealed

This is a must for beads that won't suddenly break on you. Indian and Asian lampwork beads, as far as general consensus, have not been annealed.

A popular online search term is - lampwork annealed - to cull the cheaply produced imports from the artisans!

* Sharp Bead Holes

Pointy edges of the bead can cut the thread you use, even wires such as tigertail. Look for smooth flat edges. Otherwise, stick to wire-wrapping, although artists strive for good clean edges this takes experience and good craftmanship - it IS a sign of a well-made bead. You can sometimes pick these in pictures - the ends will come to a point, or look rough.

* Sculptural knowhow

Stacked dots (bumps) - Warring States beads
Watch out for undercuts - where the dot is not attached securely to the base of the bead, making it easier to knock off. They look a little top heavy, or as if the dot has a neck. You can also keep an eye out for how lopsided the dots are... tho this might not bother you!

In context, sculptural beads need to be firmly based so bits such as appendages or wings or eyeballs on stalks (eg) don't easily knock off - common sense in light of the objects being glass will be obvious which pieces could be too fragile to use in jewelry.

* Chill marks

These are caused by thermal shock from the bead being marvered or pressed into a mold. You can tell this by looking closely you will see little tiny rings on the bead surface. This is different to frits (crushed glass) which cause texture and will be part of the design and more consistent. There is some controversy about chill marks as they indicate the bead has not been brought up to an even heat before placing in the kiln, thus causing greater internal stress on the glass. Some people use them as part of the design!

* Bubbles

Some love them and see them as adding charm; tho generally speaking with a clear coating on the bead (known as encasing ) artistic perfection is to achieve flawless encasing - few if any bubbles.

Lots of bubbles could weaken the structural integrity of the bead, if they are too close to the surface. Flawless encasing as well as even encasing takes skill and patience from the artisan and the less bubbles reveals good workmanship (again, some believe bubbles add to charm!)

Of course, intentional bubbles - like in plunged dots or flowers or a part of the design - are placed deeper within the bead and can look pretty awesome!

* Glass

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