Brown and Tan Lampwork Glass Bracelet

Add a warm note to your ensemble with this summery-toned, handmade bracelet.

Price: $36.00

Our tan lampwork glass bracelet has a polished radiance that is truly unusual. The combination of warm-toned lampwork beads and sterling silver accents provides contrast and interest in this handmade bracelet. Fun to wear and fabulous for gift giving.

What is Lampwork?
As its name suggests, lampwork owes its appellation to the antique process of shaping glass over an oil-burning lamp. Fabulous examples of glass beadwork from ancient Egypt and Roman times give proof of man's long history of using flame to shape glass into beautiful and significant works of art. Today's lampwork beads are part of an old and honored tradition of craftsmanship.

Oxygen torches have replaced the old-fashioned oil lamps. Modern lampworkers carefully craft each bead from a rod or sheet typically made of one of the following types of glass:

• Soda lime glass
• Leaded glass
• Borosilicate glass

The glass rods or sheets are heated over a torch using steel welding rods called mandrels. The flame is so incredibly hot that the glass melts to a honey-like consistency. From this, each bead is painstakingly shaped and decorated, and then fired in a kiln. The beadmaker must be expertly skilled at blending colors to create beautiful patterns without accidentally causing unwanted discolorations or cracking the glass. Modern glassworkers sometimes also refer to lampworking as 'flameworking'.

It is the endless creativity and amazing skill of the artisan that has given rise to such appreciation of the art of lampwork beadmaking. The lampwork bead bracelet featured here is a testament to the enduring beauty of this art form.

The History of Lampwork
It is believed that the craft of lampwork began in Egypt and Syria as early on as 1700 B.C. Lovely examples, dating to 500 B.C. have been discovered in China, and by the Middle Ages, lampwork beads and artifacts were being distributed throughout the Mediterranean, all along the Silk Road. Italy became Europe's major lampworking center during the Renaissance, and the lampworkers kept their special techniques a solemn secret for some 400 years.

It is a true marvel to look over a selection of quality lampwork beads. Swirling, striated, opaque, and metal-look beads delight the eye. Some are decorated with raised bumps or other motifs. Some encapsulate tiny glass flowers. A treasure trove for the jeweler and the jewelry collector!

Lampwork Beads in the USA Today
In America in the 1960's, many of the secrets and wonders of glassworking had been forgotten. There was little or no documentation for American jewelers to go on, but they began experimenting and creating some of the first pieces of American lampwork at this time. Over the past few decades, techniques have become extremely sophisticated as beadmakers have come to understand the unique methods required to intricately shape glass. It has become recognized as a serious art form in modern times, and in addition to being a favorite practice for making beads, lampwork is also used to create paperweights, decorative accessories and works of fine art.

The Appeal of Lampwork Bead Jewelry
Look at the focal bead on this handcrafted lampwork bracelet. Even before you think about the care that went into creating such a wonderful bead, your first reaction may simply be one of happiness. Lampwork beads often remind jewelry collectors of the old-fashioned Christmas candy we all so enjoyed as children during the holidays. Though you can't eat these beads, they have been known to cause an insatiable hunger in lampwork jewelry collectors who just can't get enough of these sublime glass beads. Because lampwork beads come in a rainbow of colors, you can own bracelets that tone with all the special pieces in your wardrobe.

Our lampwork bracelet featured here combines neutral tones of caramel and desert sand with the contrasting, splashing brightness of sterling silver. The jeweler felt that the unexpected blending of warm beads with an icy metal would provide you with something truly different for your jewelry box.

The Care of Your Sterling Silver Lampwork Bracelet
Lampwork beads are made of very strong glass, but will shatter if dropped on a hard surface such as concrete. Other than this, they require no special care, and will give the wearer years of pleasure. Sterling silver keeps its shine with a little attention. For light cleaning of your sterling silver, use a very mild soap and a polishing cloth. You may also purchase a commercial sterling silver cleaner for older jewelry that has become dull or tarnished with age.

Two Cat Studio hopes that this information has given you a new appreciation of the one-of-a-kind lampwork beads we use in jewelry pieces like this handcrafted bracelet.