Beads can be made from several different materials including wood, clay, glass, metals, even bone and stone.

      The beads I make myself and which I  hope to show you with the aid of this website are called "Lampwork Beads", formed by wrapping molten glass which is worked in a very hot flame, around a stainless steel rod called a mandrel. This mandrel is coated in a clay-based solution and is rotated in the flame - as the molten glass is wrapped around it, the hot glass then forms a bead shape. This does take practice and with time you learn how to use gravity to help shape the glass. After the bead has cooled it is then removed from the mandrel, cleaned and is ready to use in a piece of jewellery.

      Beads like this have been made for many centuries, to make jewellery and to embellish clothing and other decorative items.

      The ancient Egyptians manufactured very large quantities of beads, using them on their clothing and even including beads in their burials. They used wax or oil lamps to melt small amounts of glass with which they formed beads or small figures.The Saxons were also keen on the use of beads, as well as the Vikings.

      Over the centuries the lampwork bead has moved along, changing designs and colours in tandem with the changing fashions, just as it does today.

      Lampwork beads have really become popular over the last five or so years here in Britain and they have had a tremendous following in the United States for well over ten years now. Now with the huge popularity of bead jewellery, many jewellery makers are using more and more lampwork beads in their work. The look of hand crafted beads is second to none and every bead is so unique, giving lampwork a huge advantage over mass produced beads, some of which are even made from plastic.

      I hope that the craft of lampwork will carry on for many more centuries, bringing colour and prestige to the world of jewellery. And I hope I've helped you to look at glass beads in a different way now and just maybe you'll be giving lampwork jewellery a try in the near future. There are some fantastic bead jewellery makers out there and they are using some stunning beads in their pieces.  So why not invest in some of their jewellery - I'm sure you will enjoy wearing it.