Actually, Deirdre, I'd probably refer to the cottage industry (like in
Czech) beads as "artisan".

Tina


"Deirdre S." wrote in message
...
Interesting stuff, Maynard. And a good way to introduce people to what
the terms mean, and the differences in regional styles, techniques and
attitudes.

Are you sure you want to make your category for artisan lampwork
specifically *American* lampwork? That suggests that we are the only
bastion of artisan lampwork in the world...

Deirdre

On Sat, 20 Sep 2003 12:27:27 -0700, vj wrote:

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Kandice Seeber"
:

]Do you want a more detail explanation - or will that work? I am
certainly
]not a writer, so if anyone wants to attempt a better explanation, please
]feel free.

i'm not ignoring you, Kandice - i was waiting to see if others chimed
in. this is what i have so far, [and i did get permission from the
website i stole the first part from to use it] but it's open to
modification, and i'm hoping others can use it, too . . .
---------------
[image of Tink bead] American Lampwork:

Lampwork is an ancient technique of using a flame to melt glass. It
involves the process of melting glass in a hot flame on a steel
mandrel. The molten glass is wound around the mandrel until the
desired size and style are achieved. The flame used to melt the glass
is produced by mixing gas, either natural or propane, and oxygen.
Thus, the flame produced is hot enough to melt glass. A torch is the
primary tool for the flame.

Once a bead is formed and the artist is finished with the actual
creation process, the bead is then placed in a kiln to start the
annealing process. Annealing is the process of bringing down the
temperature of the glass very slowly. Annealing makes a glass bead
very strong and durable.

When a bead is taken out of the kiln, it is still on the steel
mandrel. The cooled bead is soaked in water to soften the bead release
agent. Once the bead is removed, the holes are cleaned and filed.

Artist made Lampworked glass beads are one of a kind, and should be
considered artwork that is wearable. No two beads are identical. If
you own lampworked beads in jewelry you can be sure that you own a one
of a kind piece of jewelry - an heirloom for your family.

What you are NOT getting are the mass-produced lampwork beads that are
imported, unless specified as Czech. [see Czech lampwork] I go out of
my way to avoid glass from India, Turkey, and China. Those beads are
usually not annealed and are very weak and prone to cracking and
breakage.

Lampworked glass beads are not "blown glass", this is a different
technique entirely.

Most of the lampworked beads I use are handcrafted in the United
States, Canada, or Australia by glass artisans, who utilize a high
level of safety in their lampwork process. When you purchase jewelry
from me that contains lampwork, the artist will be specified.

Czech Lampwork:

The glass bead industry in the Czech Republic is well established and
has been there for over 100 years (if not longer). While the
firepolished and pressed glass is made in factories, there are many
factories and none of them would be considered huge by American
standards. The lampwork beads are a completely different story - or
at least they used to be. Lampworking is a cottage industry in the
Czech Republic utilizing many individual families making beads at
home. The techniques are passed from generation to generation
starting at a very young age. These people are VERY skilled artisans
and by their own country's standards, very well paid. They make beads
only in the styles that have been mainstays of the industry for
decades, so they may look 'mass-produced.' For them, the beads are a
product to make well but they are NOT necessarily an expression of an
artist's sensibility.

The beads are contracted for through either the factory owners or
other middlemen - the families rarely, if ever, produce beads for
direct marketing. As for quality, I can only assume that their glass
industry knows how to make beads that last considering how long it's
existed in that area. If they didn't make a quality product, it
wouldn't have flourished as it has.

There is a dynamic difference between the way European glass
beadmakers and the new generation of US beadmakers view 'production
work' vs 'art beads'

European glass workers (they seldom refer to themselves as artists)
HIGHLY value skill, precision, expertise, experience, & the level of
experience/mastery of who they studied with. The common (uncommon in
the states) is generational passing of knowledge and the demanding
perfection that accompanies it. Form and function are of UTMOST
concern - technique is stressed over 'interpretation' or art. In fact
at some points, those in apprenticeship are not considered prepared to
venture outside the level of skill they are currently mastering. Pride
and purpose for many European
glassworkers/beadmakers is to create a technically perfect bead or
item upon demand, over and over, flawlessly. It's a different sort of
'bar' than we think of here in the US where art glass, especially
bead-making, has been born in the warmer glow of expression, personal
statement and variation.

I go out of my way to buy from people I know I can trust -
lampworkers, beads, silver, and finding suppliers. I use sterling
silver or copper wire for wire wrapping, natural stones, Czech and
Japanese seed beads, sterling silver findings [mostly Bali], and
pewter, glass, and porcelain charms.

When you buy jewelry from me, you will often know who made the beads
and where they live.

======================

suggestions are welcome.
i haven't found anything like this for the Bali silver or Hill Tribe
silver yet [couldn't find the right posts]. i do have the link for
Bali i can use on my site, but need to figure out what to put on the
actual flyers that go with my jewelry display.


-----------
@vicki [SnuggleWench]
(Books) http://www.booksnbytes.com
(Jewelry) http://www.vickijean.com
-----------
It's not what you take, when you leave this world behind you;
it's what you leave behind you when you go. -- Randy Travis