About My Beads.

I work only with the finest quality art glass from the world`s top producers. Effetre, Lauscha, Moretti, Murano, Reichenbach & Zimmerman, Uroboros, Vetrofond etc., and Thompson`s Enamels for their superior quality, colour and sparkle (The glass type and colours used is indicated in the listing).

I form the beads from molten glass at over 1000deg.C in my workshop using a Nortel Oxy/Propane bead torch. They are then annealed overnight in my Paragon digital bead kiln for lasting strength and durability. Although some designs can be quite delicate, annealing generally makes them almost as tough as marbles, as are all properly annealed glass beads.

I inspect all my beads individually when they are being cleaned and prepared, insuring you only get the highest quality premium beads of the same grade I use myself in my own jewellery projects. Beads that don`t quite make the grade I collect up sell as ``Seconds`` at a reduced rate about 2 or 3 times a year on eBay. Spring, Summer and Autumn usually, so do keep a look out for my special bead sales at these times.

Any cracked or hideously awful experimental beads are put in my scrap bin for recycling!

I make beads on 4 different diameters of mandrels which produce beads with holes of approximately 2mm or 3mm or 4mm or 6mm, mostly I produce beads with 2mm holes as I find that size most useful for my own use. The size of the bead holes will be indicated in the listing.

My Lentil beads are bevelled to accept 4mm to 6mm bi-cones or small spheres in a ball and socket joint manner. When strung together they interlock at right angles to each other for an entirely different look. Both these ways of stringing my Lentil beads results in a very fluid piece of jewellery that moves easily when worn for that little bit of extra comfort.

Bead release has been removed from the bead holes, and they have all been reamed and bevelled with a diamond tipped tool to remove any sharp edges. So you will receive them ready to string straight from the package!

My new Silver core beads are made and finished just the same as all my beads, then a single complete core of .925 Silver tube that I have custom made for the bead is fitted and marked 925.

The 5 pence coin (18mm) I use in some of my photos for scale is about the same diameter as a US dime (17.9mm) or Australian 5 cents (19.3mm).

If you can supply information on other world currencies of about this size please let me know and I will update this section with your input. Thanks!

Glass beads are known to last for Millennia and have been found on many archaeological dig sites in Europe and Scandinavia from about the Iron Age (prior to the Roman Empire) and from other regions including Egypt and the Middle East from even earlier times. Part of the appeal is the timelessness of Lampwork glass beads.

Please remember to sign up for my mailing list and you will receive information on when I have new beads for sale, both from my website and on eBay.

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 Member of Beads, Beads, and More Beads Jewellery group.

Look for work by the great artists in this group, search by entering  BBMB  in the search box. @ eBay.com

With many thanks and appreciation to ALL my customers for your interest in my work, without which this website would of been impossible!

If you have any questions please do email.

Thanks for looking!

Best Wishes and Happy Beading:) John (scottish-lampwork)

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