"Handmade, US Lampwork"????

Oh, I agree completely - and I think she should be specific when listing components each particular auction - otherwise buyers may feel misled.

B.

Semi-precious

The auction I gave the title for, she says she made the BEADS-- the auction is for lampwork beads, not finished jewelry. Mind you, not just that the beads are handmade (which Indian glass is...), but that SHE made them using all the proper high quality lampworking materials and techniques.

If you buy a kilo of Indian glass "premium" lampwork, you can sort through it and find beads that look the same as the one she is claiming credit for. They have a black core (usually), and they've fused on bits and pieces of glass all over the core, then melted them together (sometimes not too well-- still edges where the pieces come together). They are only approximately round, or barrel shaped or whatever.

The spacer beads look like more Indian glass-- "colorlined" beads made of clear glass, then paint applied inside. Yes, paint. It chips off. Kaytee "Simplexities" on

~~ Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

Artemis is now on the "Not Recommended" list, as is Austin (the copyright violator).

~~ Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

Oh oh oh! And this gem: "Handmade Moretti, Effetre, Vetrofond & Lauscha Lampwork" and "Dichroic Boro, Moretti, and Effetre Lampwork"

This person isn't even a lampworker at ALL, I would bet cash money. There's no dichro in the picture, one bead that might or might not be boro (but is clearly not dichro), and no lampworker would be so ignorant as to think Moretti and Effetre were two different kinds of glass.

-Kalera

Kathy N-V wrote:

Ah HAHAHAHA!!!! Jeez - anyone can see those are not Swarovski.

These people must be desperate. They see lampwork going for decent prices and think - "hey, I will try my hand at selling imports and see if I can get big bucks by name dropping and using jargon I have no idea about!!!". It's sad, really.

The thing about it that's really lame is that I think they could do just as well or better by NOT deceiving people... by saying "My lampwork is made in india by skilled handcrafters; I carefully cull, clean, and kiln-anneal the beads myself, before dividing them into small sets with carefully selected accent beads. My goal is to do the handpicking so that you, the jewelry artist, don't have to. Enjoy!"

-Kalera

Kandice Seeber wrote:

Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

I recently started to make my own hand-made jewelry, and am currently doing my own wirework and metal clay. I have only purchased lampwork beads twice: The first set I love. The second set were definitely flawed (there were cracks where the artist removed the mandrel).

How can I learn to tell the difference between genuine hand-crafted lampwork beads and cheap imported beads, especially when the seller says that the beads are handmade? I like lampwork, but I really have no interest in learning how to make my own lampwork beads. (I've already got enough to learn about metal!)

I asked this question at a recent bead show, and someone suggested that I look closely at the beads before purchasing them. This is a good idea if you can see the beads before you buy, but it won't help me because I live in the country, about an hour-and-a-half drive from the nearest city and beadshop. The reality is that I have to purchase on-line. So I have to look at pictures and Web sites to make a determination. What should I look for?

Thanks in advance for your help!

P.S. I just started reading this newsgroup today, so please excuse me if this question has already been asked and answered in this group.

The approach I'm taking is to only buy beads from beadmakers who I know at least by reputation. Sometimes I've asked a list beader about a beader I've not heard of, and so far, haven't been burned!

The Blessed Fiddy, Patroness Saint of the Disorganized LC in Sunny So Cal Personality Development Specialist (Full-Time Mom!)

Peggy,

In addition to Fiddy's tip about artists with great reputations here, one thing to look for is for the seller not only to say "handmade" - as those imports are often handmade, just not well - is for them to say "handmade by me" or "handmade by I recently started to make my own hand-made jewelry, and am currently doing

Experience will help, in addition to buying from people on this list. I came here a year or more ago not knowing the first thing about lampworked beads and now I feel I know enough to buy comfortably off ebay. Seeing Good beads helps you steer away from Not So Good Beads. Honest... You can learn to spot quality. Ill let the lampworkers describe the propertys that make the difference. Diana

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 13:16:02 -0400, Peggy wrote (in message ):

Easy way: Only buy from people you know. (I recommend this method until you can tell the difference for yourself at a glance)

Harder way: Look at loads of beads. Here is Halstead Bead's site, which has a little of everything.

Compare the beads from the different countries. The ones listed from East India look markedly different from the rest. The holes in them are rough edged, the colors are different, and there is a white powder in the holes. The powder is a form of bead release, meant to keep the bead from sticking to the metal rod upon which the bead was made (mandrel).

Now open another browser window. Open Kandice's site:

See the difference? These beads look _nothing_ like the mass produced beads from Halstead. Now look at Kalera's site:

Very different beads from Kandice's, but they also have the mark of an individual, and look nothing like mass production. Now, take a look at a third site (I promise this is the last one):

Jerri's beads are totally different than the ones made by Kalera or Kandice, but again, bear the stamp of individuality. If you go back to the lampwork.net site, there is an amazing list, compiled by our friend Sooz, with a bajillion sites to visit. Check some (or all) of them out. Each artisan lampworker has a unique style, and no beads are exactly identical.

The other biggie is that artisan made lampwork (the good stuff) is annealed in a kiln. Annealing means that the beads are brought to a temperature sufficient to relieve the internal stress in the glass, then allowed to cool very slowly. Cheapo lampwork is not annealed, it's just not cost effective. The result is that a bead like that can look just fine, but shatter with little or no warning, even a year down the road.

One more thing is that the mass produced lampwork comes in a very limited pallette of colors. Artisans are always trying to push the envelope and often come up with colors you never dreamed of. If you see an amazing color combination with shades that would make Mother Nature scream, it's not mass produced.

This one last way is sneaky, but foolproof: ask the seller if (s)he takes custom orders, because you want X beads in Y color and/or a larger set. If it's an artisan, you'll be able to commission an order or you'll get a long explanation about why (s)he no longer takes custom orders. Almost always because they got so busy with commissions that they had no time to do any experimenting - glass people seem to be notorious for trying any whacked out thing to see what happens. (I mean that in the nicest way, you guys) Wanna see what I mean? Open this site:

With mass produced, you cannot order any custom color combinations (ever), and the beads don't come in sets - unless you call 500 identical ugly beads a "set." You won't get an explanation, either - at best you'll get an "ummm, the artist (who always is a "friend of the seller") is out of town and can't make any more beads right now." In time, you'll be able to tell mass produced without a second glance. You'll be able to tell good artisan lampwork from "meh" stuff, too. BTW, I own stuff from all the sites I've sent you to, and a lot of other gorgeous stuff besides. I wish I could send you to all the sites to see the work of all the artists I drool over. I can't resist - Just one more site:

There are literally hundreds more sites and artists I wish I could show you, and the dfference would become amazingly clear. It's a quality that's even more obvious when you can touch the beads in person. Artisan made beads "speak" to you when they're held, telling you a story in glass. Bulk beads are "dead." They can be pretty, but there is no story living within them. I hope this little primer helps. Stick around the group, and welcome. This is a good place.

Kathy N-V

P.S.: I feel so sad that I didn't mention all the other artists I know. You guys, it's no reflection on you or your work. It's just that this post is so freaking long as it is.

Thanks Kathy.

I sent it to my husbands puter so that I can open and compare without freezing up.

The very best way, when you're first getting started, is to buy only from people with a reputation for quality... and the best way to learn their reputation is to stick around here and see who gets talked about. For example, if I start oohing and ahhing over Kim Neely's work, you can rest assured that Kim is a good artist selling tip-top work (and how!). Of course, Kim may be out of your price range... she's certainly out of mine. But she's just the tip of the iceberg! Another way is to look for "WC" or "BHV" in auction titles; that means that the seller is a member of one of those groups, which are essentially just like this one, dedicated to exchanging knowledge and furthering the advancements of beads and beading as an art form. You can also look for the ISGB member logo on the seller's auction or About Me page; that tells you they're a member of the International Society of Glass Beadmakers.

Last but far from least, after you have walked on the safe side for a while and collected some nice beads, you will get to a point where you can SEE the difference, just like that. Nice puckered or flat ends, no chips around the holes, no chill marks, well-rounded dots that are well-attached and won't pop off, no smearing, no scorching, precise placement of design elements, and most of all, as Kathy said,

*individuality*... all these things will become apparent over time, with experience. Don't be afraid... the water's fine. :)

Check out the "show and tell" threads on these sites:

...and have fun!

-Kalera

Peggy wrote:

Right on, Kalera. I have seen so many auctions that are deceptive or in the wrong category. I look at them and am deeply disappointed. Put into the wrong category, they look like crap.

But put into the context of carefully chosen production beads, they can be at the top of their category in quality and look impressive. Like the lady VickiJ gets her Czech beads from; she designs and/or orders the best beads for the American market.

Tina

Kathy, Very good post. I hope this helps Peggy.

I don't think I could have said it better.

Lara

ebay ID: lutrick