The end of a rod of glass is heated in a propane-oxygen flame until the glass softens. As the glass melts it forms a ball shape gathered on the end of the rod.

The molten glass is touched against a thin rod, or mandrel, of steel. Contact is made towards the end of the mandrel where it has been previously been coated with a releasing compound.

By turning the mandrel in one hand and at the same time continuing to heat the glass rod held in the other, glass is transferred to mandrel forming a ring around it. This ring of glass is the basis of the bead. More glass is added to give the desired size and the bead is shaped in the heat of the flame, using gravity as well as tools.

Glass of other colours can be added, to the surface in a pattern, or randomly to give an endless variety of finishes.

The glass bead must be annealed in a kiln, to prevent it from from cracking. It is kept at a high temperature to release the stresses which have accumulated as the bead has been worked.

Next it is cooled slowly in the kiln to room temperature.

Finally when it is cool, the bead is removed from the mandrel and the releasing compound is cleaned from the hole.

Because each bead is made individually, no two are exactly alike. A single bead can take anything from less than a minute to over an hour to make.

Why do I use glass?
Glass has a timeless quality. Indeed many glass beads have been recovered from archaeological sites dating back to the beginning of glass making, more than 4000 years ago.

I like to think that some of my beads may still be around in the next millennium!

Barbara, I just want to say that I had a great weekend with you, learning the craft of bead-making, and I am amazed at the results achieved in such a short time! You were a very patient teacher, and the array of supplies was second to none. I now have the inspiration and confidence to go ahead and buy the equipment to make my own beads, and I shall do this as soon as possible and I am looking forward to creating some wonderful beads of my own. Once again, many thanks for a lovely weekend

Dear Barbara, it has taken me a few days to recover from the fantastic weekend I have just spent with you exploring the do’s & don’ts of lampworking. I am amazed at the amount of work you covered, your relaxed method of teaching by demonstrations and clear guidelines were very easy to follow.
I cannot believe how soon I was working away on the torch, and with lots of free time for personal practice to explore at my own pace I completed quite a stash of lovely beads made from your wonderful large selection of glass. I will enjoy adding my beads to various pieces of jewellery in the near future. You were very generous with your time and ready to answer all sorts of questions regarding beading contacts, books, equipment and suppliers. I will certainly recommend you to like-minded friends and keep in touch and hope to visit you again in future.

Dear Barbara, Just a quick note to thank-you for a wonderful weekend. Your instruction and patience was second to none and we learnt an awful lot and had plenty of free time to practice what we learnt. We have come away with some beads we are proud of and which we feel are good enough to integrate into pieces of jewellery, and having been kindly annealed by yourself they will survives the years. We were very impressed with the choice of glass available to us and all the facilities that you have, lunch was far more than we expected. Thank-you for all your advice on equipment purchase and set-up. We had a really good time. Best Wishes.