Tips on Buying Quality Lampwork Beads
There are just so many lampwork beads for sale! How do you make a decision? How do you know which beads are higher quality, or which ones you should stay away from? Here are some guidelines to help you out.
1. If the bead is supposed to be evenly shaped, look at it carefully to see if it is centered around the hole. You can usually do this easily by twirling it between your fingers and seeing if the hole is centered, or if it moves around. If you are buying beads online, there should be a picture of the bead from the end--giving you a view of the hole.
2. Are the ends of the bead (around the hole) well-formed? The ends should pucker in slightly giving kind of a donut hole appearance. The ends should not be jagged, or sharp. Sharp ends will tear through the beading wire or thread.
3. Has the bead been cleaned adequately? Beads are made on steel mandrels that have a bead release coating. After the beads are removed from the kiln, the chalky bead release must be cleaned from the hole. Look into the hold...you shouldn't see white/gray bead release. If the bead is transparent, look at it from all angles. While you will see the hole, it should not show spotty residue of bead release.
4. Beads with raised dotsmust be looked at carefully. The base of the dots should be larger than the tips. In other words, the dots should never look like mushrooms with larger heads and a small base. Dots such as these are more likely to break off.
5. Chill marksshould be absent. Chill marks are ridges (usually circular) that come from touching the hot bead to a cold surface. While this is commonly done during the formation of the bead, the chill marks are then removed by heating the area until they disappear. Although chills marks can occasionally be part of a design, they are usually the earmark of poor quality beads.
6. Has the bead been annealed? All professional lampworkers anneal their beads in a kiln. This adds strength and durability to the beads. Usually a seller will state the the beads have been annealed, but if not, you should ask just to be sure.
7. There should be minimal air bubbles(preferably none, although they add a nice design element in some beads). The presence of lot of air bubbles makes the bead more likely to break.
8. Needless to say, look the bead over carefully. It shouldn't have any chips or cracks!
