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About Me & My Lampwork Beads
My name is Peggy Collins. I live in Miami, FL with my husband, our two dogs, and my cat named Mow.
For the past two and a half years I have been working to perfect my craft of creating little individual works of art in the form of glass lampwork beads.
Previously oblivious to the art, I first discovered lampwork beads while searching for unique beads to use in my jewelry designs. My great appreciation for the art led me to consider taking a class, which I did in 2006.
Since then I have been at the torch in my Miami studio creating delicate little lovelies that can be found on the sites listed on the home page.
Making a Lampwork Bead
Feel free to E-mail me with any questions you have.
How are lampwork beads made?
I start with a torch and a rod of glass. The glass rods are about the size of a drinking straw, only a bit longer. The rod is slowly introduced into the flame. It must initially be heated slowly, otherwise the sudden change in temperature will cause the glass to shatter, and little pieces can go flying in any direction.
The glass rod is heated until there is a ball of red hot molten glass at the tip. This is then wound onto a steel mandrel. The glass is then shaped into rounds, hearts, cones, or which ever shape is desired.
To get the lovely little flowers I will have pre-made what is called a "stringer" by taking a few different glass colors and mixing them to produce the desired effect. Once I have all the colors I desire, I then heat them together into a ball. Once it reaches the molten state, the ball is pulled, sort of like taffy, stretching the hot glass into a very thin stringer.
The stringers are used like a paintbrush. Only, instead of a wet paint, it is a "wet" molten hot glass ball at the end of the stringer which can be painted onto the base bead.
The beads are then placed into a fiber blanket to slowly cool. If they were to cool too quickly they would crack.
After I have made several beads, they are annealed in a kiln. This process slowly brings them up to a temperature just below 1,000 degrees, soaks them there for an hour, and then slowly cools them back down. This is done to "calm" down the molecules in the glass, creating a stronger, more durable bead that will last decades.
I have actually dropped a couple beads, from a standing position, onto my tile floor, and they just bounced around, not breaking. I thought it was amazing!
I start with a torch and a rod of glass. The glass rods are about the size of a drinking straw, only a bit longer. The rod is slowly introduced into the flame. It must initially be heated slowly, otherwise the sudden change in temperature will cause the glass to shatter, and little pieces can go flying in any direction.
The glass rod is heated until there is a ball of red hot molten glass at the tip. This is then wound onto a steel mandrel. The glass is then shaped into rounds, hearts, cones, or which ever shape is desired.
To get the lovely little flowers I will have pre-made what is called a "stringer" by taking a few different glass colors and mixing them to produce the desired effect. Once I have all the colors I desire, I then heat them together into a ball. Once it reaches the molten state, the ball is pulled, sort of like taffy, stretching the hot glass into a very thin stringer.
The stringers are used like a paintbrush. Only, instead of a wet paint, it is a "wet" molten hot glass ball at the end of the stringer which can be painted onto the base bead.
The beads are then placed into a fiber blanket to slowly cool. If they were to cool too quickly they would crack.
After I have made several beads, they are annealed in a kiln. This process slowly brings them up to a temperature just below 1,000 degrees, soaks them there for an hour, and then slowly cools them back down. This is done to "calm" down the molecules in the glass, creating a stronger, more durable bead that will last decades.
I have actually dropped a couple beads, from a standing position, onto my tile floor, and they just bounced around, not breaking. I thought it was amazing!
