lampwork beads by SWCreations

5 Kinds of Beads You Need In Your Jewelry Collection

Remember when you used to make those plastic bead friendship bracelets in middle school? Those beaded bracelets, alongside beaded necklaces and rings, are back in fashion in 2021!

Beads have been used in jewelry-making since as early as the 15th century. You’ll find varieties of beads in different regions all across the globe. Be it bracelets, necklaces, rings or even anklets — beaded jewelry is not going out of fashion anytime soon!

If you’re not particularly fond of the tiny plastic beads of the 90s, then here are some other bead varieties for you to explore.

October 30, 2021 — SWCreations Jewelry
pink floral lampwork bead

How are Lampwork Beads made?

I use lampwork beads a lot in my work, I pick them out especially by hand. But rather than just talk about the designs, let get into how they are made.  Lampwork beads are unique as they are made by hand and out of molten glass. The technique used to make them is called lampworking, hence where the name comes from. 
The Long History of Earrings

The Long History of Earrings

It seems crazy to write this, but here it is: Earrings have been popular for 7,000 years. Yes, 7,000! I can't really think of anything else that has remained a fad for that long. Beaded earrings remain a fashionable accessory today, but I was surprised by the many interesting tidbits in their history.
Lampwork Beads For A Unique Pair Of Earrings

Lampwork Beads For A Unique Pair Of Earrings

The art of lampworking is a centuries-old technique for creating beautiful and unique works of glass. Traditionally, the process involved using oil lamps to carefully and precisely mold liquid glass into intricately designed pieces. For most of its history, this technique was restricted to only a handful of artisans in Europe, but the quality of the pieces it produced was too eye-catching to ignore.

Lampworking caught on slowly in America with artists working from scratch to perfect something they had no formal instruction in. Today, the process has been refined enough that lampwork glass beads can be used for just about any kind of jewelry. 

The Unpredictable Beauty of Lampwork Beads

The Unpredictable Beauty of Lampwork Beads

Lampwork beads are a special kind of alchemy produced when fire meets the glass. They're tiny masterpieces of color and technique, each made by hand through a painstaking process of many delicate steps. Look closely at the jewelry made from lampwork beads: The beads may match, but they're never quite identical. Each one is a miniature sculpture of glassworking art.
The History of Glassmaking in America: Lampwork Beads

The History of Glassmaking in America: Lampwork Beads

The lampwork technique consists of transforming molten glass into various artworks, including beads that are very popular in handmade jewelry. Lampwork was first done by the use of alcohol lamps in which the flame would be increased in temperature using bellows. This craft has been widely practiced since the 14th century in Murano, Italy, but it wasn't brought to the United States until much more recently.
October 30, 2013 — Stephanie White
Handcrafted Lampwork Beads as Tiny Works of Art

Handcrafted Lampwork Beads as Tiny Works of Art

Creating beaded jewelry is so much fun to do. It allows for an opportunity to use all sorts of findings and a little creativity to design original pieces of art. But what’s something else that’s interesting is that many of the beads designers use in their jewelry are also tiny pieces of art themselves. In many cases, another individual using their own intricate creative processes created the beads designers use. This is definitely the case when it comes to jewelry designed with lampwork beads.