Click on Create Content and then Event.  Items posted to this site will not be published until they have been reviewed and approved.  Once approved, your event will post to the front page and be sent out to our subscribers.

Properly annealed lampwork glass beads are extremely durable.  I've dropped them on concrete floors, run them through the washer and dryer (again and again), and otherwise abused the poor dears on a pretty constant basis with no damage to the beads.  There's a slightly higher chance of breaking off a piece if the bead has raised decorations or is sculptural in nature as the finer points may offer a weak point if dropped.

As long as you don't purchase non-annealed, factory generated, low-grade lampwork (ie cheap) your beads should withstand a lot of abuse.

Keep in mind that a lampwork bead may take an artist anywhere from five minutes for a simple spacer bead to several hours (I’ve heard of longer but I think my back would give out) to make and that doesn’t include the time it takes to get set up, clean the beads, and market the work. 

Lampwork beads are not only used in jewelry, some are collectible and are becoming more so. Lampwork beads are durable, unique, miniature, wearable pieces of art. A well-made bead will enhance your jewelry creations and draw an unbelievable amount of attention. What’s not to love?

Quality.

I know it's cliche, but you get what you pay for.

Cheap beads are generally made with inferior glass (cloudy clears and scummy colors), aren't properly kiln annealed, may have rough edges, and are rarely cleaned as they tend to break in water. Frequently they break at the slightest bump or even arrive broken. If you are making jewelry for sale with these beads you may want to reconsider because an unhappy customer can spread bad things about you pretty quickly.

It can be hard to tell the difference between artist beads and those made in factories in China and elsewhere. This is because some unscrupulous import sellers make themselves look like artisans. They list in the handmade lampwork US category on ebay and make up multiple names for themselves.

Look for someone who calls themselves a self-representing-artist (although even that can be abused). If you notice a lot of listings on ebay (I mean many hundreds or thousands) they are probably an importer. If you don't know for sure you can ask on any of the forums (bead and button, wet canvas, or lampwork etc.) and they will be happy to educate you.

I've been unable to make beads for some time now due to some severe back problems.

However, I'm starting to recover (yea!). Right now a few of them are available at:

Greymalkin Gallery

Thank you for all of your support and happy beading!