"Handmade, US Lampwork"????

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from "Christina Peterson" :

]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.

thanks, Tina. we certainly TRY.

ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is EXACTLY it!

Tink Check here for available work:

Part of finding good beads, is knowing what you like.

As it happens for me, I like clear colors, very true, and well defined. And it just happens that when glass is over-worked it gets muddied. And because I like clear colors and transparent glass, I now know that I want will probably be made of a glass like Morretti. Boro is a sort of deep and usually dark glass, that has interesting thing emerge from it, especially in bright sunlight, but usually is not as clear, nor as vibrant as what I usually prefer..

I strongly encourage you to study the photos of the beads, and also the wording. But, you know, it won't be until you've had some of these beads in your hands that you'll really understand what people are talking about. Go ahead and chance some of the lower priced auctions. It will probably be way better than most beads you've seen. And if it's low priced it will probably still be on the lower edge of what you'd really like.

There is usually, but, not always, a clue to their quality in the starting price. I've seen some very nice sets for as low as $10, but that's usually either a fluke, or someone who has recently improved and her prices haven't caught up yet. Usually beads like that go for $15 to $25. Very many established artists will list a set, especially a fairly simple set, at around $25 and sell for $25 to $40. I usually look at sets I can get for $25 to $35. Good reliable craftsmanship. For specialized beads, you can expect to pay between $50 and $100. I have gotten a few of those sets too.

But start out with the less expensive beads and look at the differences in quality within that price range. You will come to recognize what you like, and how it looks on photos.

And I'm glad to see you're exploring Kathy's advice too.

Tina

Like any other handmade thing, there's a lot of leeway even in the domestic (USA-made) handmade stuff. The best way to tell what's good (aka artful, well-made, etc.) and what's not is simply by experience.

I didn't buy any lampwork until I'd looked at a TON of it online, and had read a lot of stuff here on RCB. Here's a place to go to see GOOD lampwork:

And if you email me, I can give you some links to quality lampworkers on eBay, too, which will educate you some more. (There's a lot of not-so-great lampwork on eBay, and a lot of made-by-slave-labor imported junk lampwork on eBay, too.) My email address: divaocean AT aol DOT com ~~ Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

Start with lampworkers who have a good reputation! That helps a TON. (And not all of them cost an arm and a leg.)

WELCOME, Peggy! Don't be afraid.............heh heh heh ~~ Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

ME NEITHER! Sheesh. We can't be expected to do it all. (Somebody has to BUY the lampwork these pyromaniacs make....) ~~ Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

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

I've found that this isn't necessarily a way to find really artful beads (IMO)

-- but you will buy uncracked, good quality beads from people with WC or BHV in their auction titles. ~~ Sooz To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. ~~Joseph Chilton Pearce

LOL! You! :D

-Kalera

Dr. Sooz wrote:

YES. It's no guarantee that they'll be "art", but it is at least a good starting point to assure yourself that they're not imports, and they are most likely annealed simply because of the sound thrashing people receive on WC for even considering not annealing their stuff!

-Kalera

Dr. Sooz wrote:

the lampwork these pyromaniacs make....)<

THANK YOU!!!!!!

KarenK (who would much rather play with fire)

Yeah!!!!! (fire, fire, fire)

And we're damn grateful, too!

-Kalera

Dr. Sooz wrote:

If you're Beavis I must be Butthead. LOL

Believe me, we buyers are grateful, too!

On Fri, 10 Sep 2004 23:43:54 -0400, Karen_AZ wrote (in message ):

And no one wonders why I say that these guys will do any fool thing to see what happens when you touch it with hot glass.

--------A Cautionary Tale About Lampworkers-----------

"Oh Look - a big pile of cat fur. Wonder if it will add texture and add to my half finished bead of EDP? It's only about a thousand degrees, and the fur should look great. Or, I could just roll the cat in baking soda and then use the fur! kewl."

"Wow! Look at this way cool effect I got from the cat fur. Here kitty, kitty. C'mon kitty, c'mon. [Kitty has gone on a long term vacation]"

"Hmm, guess I'd better collect the cat fur that's stuck to all my dry-clean-only clothes. And I don't have any baking soda left. I wonder what instant decaf will do. It might make brown frit - and I can call it a "Java Bead" - whooo!"

[Later, when posting bead's photos onto eBay] "Hmm. I think I'd better call it a proprietary method. I'm not gonna say anything about the cat fur here. But wait until I tell them over on Wet Canvas! Or. Maybe. Not...It can be my own secret. Heh, heh, heh."

----------------------------------------------------

Kathy N-V

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from Kathy N-V :

]--------A Cautionary Tale About Lampworkers-----------

10 points!

And what a TIMELY tale, too! I had to wake John up about an hour ago to assist me with my latest experiment. I mainly needed him in the room in case I had an explosion, which (thankfully) did NOT happen. (My suspicion is that if I hadn't wimped out on the glass temp that I MIGHT have had an explosion/fire issue. Next time, for sure!)

I just figured it would be safer with an observer around.

Tink Check here for available work: