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Glass Beads
Glass
beads are often the first choice for jewellery making. The
wide choice of glass beads on offer today in the most amazing
versatile shapes and sizes, mean that jewellery made from home
need never be boring.
Lampwork glass beads are perhaps the most treasured of all the
glass beads. Using a blowtorch and glass in the form of rods
or cane, the glass is manipulated to create some intricate designs
and colour. Glass beads made this way by hand, will often vary
because of the unique creating process and therefore small differences
should be valued rather than considered flaws.
Pressed
or moulded glass beads are more unique in form and can be manufactured
on a larger scale more cheaply than lampwork beads. Because of
the way that these beads are made, they are often more suited
to designs which require a more uniform style such as earrings.
It is far easier matching pressed glass beads into pairs rather
than trying to sort out identical lamp work beads.
Traditionally, certain areas of the world have been associated
with glass bead production. Italy is famed for its Murano glass
beads, and Czechoslovakia is associated with Bohemian glass beads.
However India, one of the largest glass bead producing nations,
has been manufacturing glass beads for many many years, and styles,
which were, once associated with one glass producing nation are
now often copied. Many designs are redeveloped to reflect the
talents of another country. India now produces a huge range of
Venetian glass beads, also know as wedding cake beads for export.
These beads are cheaper than those originating from Venice and
are well suited to the jewellery making market.
China, with one of the fastest growing economies is now well
placed to compete with the Indian glass beads export market.
Factories are now churning out more and more glass beads to be
sold in the form of cheap mass produced jewellery, but also as
loose bead for companies looking to buy in larger volumes to
sell on in their own domestic market to the craft and hobby trade.
It is worth noting that when buying glass beads the price paid
will often reflect the quality of the product. Beads made in
the USA and Western and Eastern Europe are more highly valued
and often reflect a greater skill of craftsmanship and manufacture
than many glass beads originating from Asia. Now Murano style
glass once highly sought after, can be found in China and India.
Complex and beautiful glass bead styles originating in Europe
are now being manufactured and marketed in Asia at a fraction
of the cost because of the disparity between labour costs. However
quality is sometimes sacrificed.
Therefore it is always important when buying glass beads to be
aware that even simple styles can vary wildly in priced and that
the price may often reflect the production of the materials skill
and labour that is required to make the glass beads we need to
continue to make Jewellery.
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