Sunday, 1 February 2015

Recreate A New Career Making Lampwork Bead Earrings

By Ines Flores


Anyone who enjoys making spare time productive with crafty projects can appreciate the family bonding which takes place around a craft table. Creating beautiful things improves self esteem and opens up communication between people, teaching them to share thoughts and ideas more openly. Families who wish to facilitate this experience can begin by learning to make lampwork bead earrings.

This process is called lampworking, and it is not really known how old the technique is or where exactly it originated. Because it is similar to glassblowing and utilizes some of the same tools, it is easy to assume that this process goes back thousands of years. Not only has it been used to make jewelry, but also any glass trinkets or ornaments that were small in size, including items that are believed to have held a spiritual or religious significance.

The harder glass made of borosilicate is not used as often as the soda-lime, or soft glass, even though it is more stable. Not only that but utilizing various colors on a single piece is much easier with borosilicate due to the stability. Even so, soda-lime is used most often because it has a lower melting point and is easier to blow, even if it does tend to crack more often.

Anyone learning to do beadwork with these pieces should consider starting their new hobby by learning to make the beads themselves. This ancient skill was also called flameworking or torchworking, as these are the methods that were used to heat the glass to a melting point. Recreating the old way before learning the modern and more efficient method can give anyone a new appreciation for our technological advancements.

As with our ancient ancestors, modern artisans can utilize such a unique skill productively and turn it into an income for themselves or their family. A ten second search reveals many individuals who have used the Internet as a means to make money from their art. For those who prefer a more personal approach, traveling with Renaissance Festivals or other fairs as a vendor can turn work into a permanent vacation experience.

In addition to providing an income, such hobbies can also save people money when the Holidays roll around. Friends and family would probably prefer a beautifully hand-made trinket over expensive jewels anyway. Things made by the loving hand of a friend always hold more value in the heart than something bought from a retail establishment.

Most Americans have seen the shift from primarily white-collar high-paying jobs to minimum wage service industry work. Anyone with the drive to learn a new trade and put it to good use can become self employed instead of struggling with part-time drudgery. A family business can spring to life that provides comfort and stability for more than one generation of their clan.

We all see families who interact rarely and commit most of their time to sitting around a television set. They are often unhealthy with illnesses brought on by poor diet and lethargy. Having a group that works together keeping their family of artists busy in their trade is likely to be healthier, closer, and much more well adjusted overall.




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