Murano glass beads and their colorful art have always fascinated people. Lampwork beaded jewelry had a huge market in the 19th century and even today the appeal of handmade lampwork glass beads shows no sign of waning.
Over time there have been some changes to the way they were made – alcohol/oil lamps were previously used to make these beads, but now fuel torches are used – but it’s still an intensive effort based on the job. The whole process is so skill based that not many people enthusiastically engage in it even though they have enough exposure and know how to make murano glass beads.
Bead making in the 19th century
In Venetian industry, large quantities of lampwork glass beads were made to facilitate African trade. The industrial process was mainly carried out by men, who participated in the creation of the nucleus from molten glass at furnace temperature. Once the nucleus was ready, the coloring and decorating part was in charge of the women.
modern way of doing
These days the gas torch is used to make the murano glass beads. A glass rod is heated in the flame; the resulting thread is spun around a bead-covered metal rod. After the base is formed, other glass colors can be added to the surface to create various designs. This is the main stage of the bead making technique; later, the bead can be treated in a kiln to make it last longer.
Modern bead manufacturing uses single or dual fuel torches. Flame work torches are typically “surface mix” where the oxygen and fuel mix after exiting the torch. This gives you a quieter tool and a less messy flame. Unlike metal working, flame working keeps the torch stationary, with the bead and glass moving in the flame.
Types of glass used to make lampwork glass beads
– Dichroic glass beads: For high-end art beads, this glass is excellent. Glass has a thin film of metal fused to its surface; this gives the glass a metallic sheen that plays with two colors when viewed from different angles.
– Lead crystal: The high lead content of this glass makes it remarkably shiny on one side and inherently fragile on the other.
– Furnace Glass: This glass uses large decorated reeds, encased in clear glass and finally taken out to create the beads with twisted and lining stripe patterns.
– SODA LIME: This Italian glass is the most famous glass for lamps. Popular soda lime glasses come from companies like Effetre.
Now that you know how to make lampwork glass beads and even know what you need, you can also try creating your own lampwork glass beads for exquisite lampwork beaded jewelry. Decorate the murano glass beads however you like, creating decorative designs such as feathers and hearts or embellishing them with metals.