Hello! My lampworking journey began in the beginning of 2003. I was searching on eBay for a necklace to go with a really cool dress my hubby bought for me. Deciding to look through the artisan section of "the bay", I came across the most beautiful jewelry made with handmade glass beads. Having absolutely no clue how they were made, I started researching lampwork (or flamework) via the internet. I found a place in Indianapolis that taught beginning lampwork classes and both my  husband and I took a six hour beginner's class. I was hooked right from the start. Hubby didn't blink an eye when I started buying tons of glass and equipment. I confiscated a portion of our basement and created an extremely effective studio (At least it is effective when I don't have everything scattered all over the place and then can't find anything, lol!).

My entire family has been hugely supportive of this great endeavor, especially my mother-in-law who is always eager to model my latest "jewels". My husband and I are blessed with two children whose inquisitive nature lends to my bead making...

From my son: "Hey mom, why don't you use some green with it. You know that's my favorite color." ~~ "Can I get you some more glass?" ~~"Why can't I use your torch? I'm big enough!"  Did I mention he's only seven?

And from my daughter: "Eeewwww, I don't like that one Mommy!" ~~"Are those for me?!" ~~"Well, that one is interesting..."  She is 6 going on 17, ugh!

For those of you who are not familiar with the process, here is a bit of an explanation. Lampwork beads are made by heating glass rods of varying colors to the molten point with a specialized torch (mine uses a mixture of propane and oxygen to run). The glass is then wound around a stainless steel rod called a mandrel. The decorations on and in the beads consist of other bits of glass and precious metals that are manipulated until the desired effect has been achieved. The beads are then placed in a kiln to anneal. Annealing frees the glass from internal stress that may have been caused while forming the bead. When the beads are completely cooled, the center holes are cleaned with a diamond bit to remove any excess clay that the mandrels were previously dipped in. I take it one step further and place my beads into an ultrasonic cleaner to ensure that they are sparkley.

I am now offering beginning lampworking classes in my southern Indiana studio. The classes are private or semi-private (if you have a friend who would like to learn with you). If you are interested, email me for the details.

Here are a few of my favorite links to lampwork artists, glass suppliers, jewelry designers (and a link to my favorite travel agency):

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