Lampworkers

Yes, that does happen on occasion. They are glass beads, after all. I had
a flower pop off one of my beads fresh out of the kiln two days ago. I was
so ticked off - this hardly ever happens. But we're not infallible, we
lampworkers - as much as we like to believe we are!

--
Kandice Seeber
Air & Earth Designs
http://www.lampwork.net

I suspect it varies from maker to maker. And well-annealed lampwork
isn't totally immune, either. I had an artisan lampwork bead split
right down the middle the other day.

So ... the reputation of Indian and Chinese lampwork is a
-generalization- only. *IN GENERAL*, it is prone to more problems. But
bead by bead, it may be just fine...

Deirdre

On 20 Sep 2003 22:19:49 GMT, ospam (Kaytee) wrote:

In article , vj

writes:

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.


Just a note: at least some of the Chinese beads seem to be OK. I have a
couple
on an ID holder neckstrap-- they have been clanked together and against
hard
surfaces, as well as dropped on cement, ceramic tile and blacktop for
over a
year (maybe over 2 years...) and they are still intact. These are
humungous
(30+mm) sized round beads with "painted" type designs on them (look like
Chinese brush paintings, but all done with glass). The smaller
"sputnik"/"Warring States" type beads also seem to hold up pretty well,
judging
from unplanned bounce testing.
Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/simplexities

isn't there a way to put your blown bits in a case or cupboard, or
something? or restrict the cats to the non-work area?

Or put a colander upside down over the beads?
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

i was trying to make a distinction between Western and
European.

New World lampwork.
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

why not? i like supporting "American Artists".

That counts out Australia, and people like Arondelle (Switzerland).
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

The only suggestion I would make is that you could elaborate a little
more on annealing... a subject about which little is commonly known,
even to many newer lampworkers.

"kiln-annealed".
~~
Sooz
-------
"Those in the cheaper seats clap. The rest of you rattle your jewelry." John
Lennon (1940 - 1980) Royal Varieties Performance
~ Dr. Sooz's Bead Links
http://airandearth.netfirms.com/soozlinkslist.html

Bwahahahaaaaaaaaa! Yes, you are.

--

Tink

www.blackswampglassworks.com
Sign Up Now For Fall Workshops!
Hollows, Vessels & Florals...

"vj" wrote in message
...
vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Tink"
:

]*swoon* I just LOVE small-scale blowing!!! Of course, this leads to more
]hardcore stuff: I'm shopping for an electric crucible and small glory
hole
]now.

OH, SH*T! i am in SO much trouble!


-----------
@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

There may not be any way to tell ... until it breaks. But the same is
true for artisan lampwork. The artist may do everything in his or her
power to insure that the bead is sound before they release it to the
world. But it may still bust -in spite of all the care they took-.

And an Indian or Chinese bead may luck-out and survive in spite of the
low-tech conditions under which it was made. For me, one of the big
stoppers when it comes to buying low-tech lampwork is the powdery haze
of bead release that dulls them to the point of being a whole lot less
than attractive.

I've bought Indian lampwork I wouldn't be ashamed to use from Bead
Monkey in the Twin Cities, and when I asked why their Indian lampwork
looked so much better than other people's Indian lampwork, they told
me they ran their shipments through a couple of cycles in an automatic
dishwasher, and did some serious culling before putting the survivors
out on display.

Deirdre

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 13:08:56 -0700, vj wrote:

it's the "how to tell" part i'm having real trouble with.

How about linking it to the level of technology involved instead of
making it regional.

A Chinese lampworker who used the same setup as a Western lampworker,
and who had learned the same skills, and had access to equally decent
materials could certainly turn out lampwork of comparable quality. It
would be good -- IMO -- to link quality to *skills, materials and
technique* rather than nationality. Less ethno-centric, dontcha think?

Deirdre


On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 13:10:25 -0700, vj wrote:

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Deirdre S.
:

]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...

you're right. i need to find a different way to do that. since i
have lampwork from Canada and hope to have from Australia, too. [as it
says near the bottom] maybe "Western Lampwork"?????


-----------
@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

I guess I make fewer fine distinctions between artist and artisan,
though I know there may be grounds for distinction. And I wonder if
some people, like the Czech lampworkers, wouldn't -be- closer to the
definition of artists, if the cultural emphasis on traditional forms
and methods were lifted a bit.

They clearly have the skills, but not their environment's
encouragement toward individual expression, IMO. In a more open
atmosphere, some might experiment more, perhaps be inspiringly
innovative. But, we can't really know that unless it actually happens.
And maybe those artisans who do aspire to artist-like individual
expression find they have to emigrate to explore that path...

Deirdre

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:23:59 GMT, "Christina Peterson"
wrote:

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

I think Kalera meant the bead I had which was a domestically made art
lampwork bead from an identified source, not the mass produced stuff.

I suspect that the Indian and Chinese lampworkers know their stuff
breaks, but they aren't in a position to have a whole lot of what you
might call 'creative control'. I suspect they do the best they can
within the conditions they're stuck with...

Deirdre

On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 21:52:20 -0700, vj wrote:

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kalera Stratton
:

]YOu should let the artist know and even send it to them, not just for a
]replacement, but because it's possible that they are inadvertantly using
]colors that aren't compatible, as with me and my Pink Tourmaline and
]Denim sob!.

when they're in China or India, and the beads are wholesaled to
companies, that's a tad hard to do!


-----------
@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