Posts Tagged ‘artisan lampwork’
Handmade Lampwork Beads – Prices
Now that you know something about artisan handmade lampwork beads, what about prices? Sure, they are more than the mass-produced kind, but what can you expect, price-wise. Let's take a look.
And the Price Is...
I mentioned in the artisan bead post that I've seen a single bead sell for over $100. I also mentioned that most artisan beads are nowhere near that in price! That being the case, what can you expect? Let's go by bead type.
- Focal beads are generally larger than 20mm in size, which just about 7/8 of an inch. The average focal is between 25mm and 40mm. An artisan focal bead can easily go for over $100, but in general the price is between $20 and $50.
- Bead sets are made of (on average) 7 to 9 beads, but can be fewer or more. The beads can be round or in different shapes such as pillows, lentils, squares, flowers and even more shapes! Beads in sets are smaller, and tend to be between 10 and 18mm in size (naturally there are always exceptions). I've seen artisan bead sets go for over $2,000 but a more average price is between $3 and $10 per bead. So a 7-bead artisan set could cost anywhere from $21 to $70 on average.
Naturally, prices depend on the skill of the artist and the complexity of the bead. Expect to pay more for a well-known bead artist, as well as for very complex beads.
FYI, small plain round spacers (single color) tend to go for between 50 cents and $1 per bead.
Should You Buy 99 Cent Beads?
What about the $1 beads that can be found on the ebay auction site? Some bead artists start their auctions at low prices, like 99 cents, to encourage bidding. Sometimes the beads aren't bid up very much, especially for a bead artist new to ebay.
If you see an auction with a very low price that looks interesting, please read the auction details to make sure the seller is a self-representing artist. Also look for the words kiln annealed.
Yes, there are bargains to be had. Just don't pay artisan bead prices for non-artisan beads. And buy appropriately for your project. "Fun" jewelry doesn't need expensive lampwork. Heirloom-quality jewelry shouldn't use production-made lampwork.
And if you have any questions, just ask the buyer directly.
Artisan Bead Examples
One thing that continues to amaze me are the figural beads that I see on ebay. Below you can see some beads made in the form of fish that are truely awe-inspiring. But of you want more than just fish, here's a link to .
As always, click the link to see larger photos and to get more information. Have fun!
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Artisan Beads
What makes a single bead worth $100 or more? Is it the materials or the artist who designed and created the bead? And although most artisan beads aren't anywhere near $100 per bead, they all share something in common.
They were all created out of a love of beads.
About Artisan Beads
The most common type of artisan bead is glass lampwork. Basically, the bead artist takes rods of glass as big around as a pencil (more or less) and a foot long and melt them in a flame. It has to be a hot flame, so a special torch is required -- if gives literal meaning to the phrase, "playing with fire"! The melted glass is shaped into round or other shaped beads, then decorated with care.
SRA - Self-Representing Artist
You may or may not have heard the term self-representing artist when it comes to beads. What exactly does it mean?
Basically self-representing means that the person whose name is attached to the bead is the person who made it. It also includes the person's immediate family. For example, my studio name is "TasminAnn Studio". This could cover both myself and my husband...but not my niece, nephew, cousins or friends. (And in my case, I'm the only one in the studio since my husband gave up trying to make beads.)
There has been somewhat of a furor over some big "studios" selling lampwork not physically made in the studio. The lampwork is made elsewhere, sent to the studio where the bead sets are arranged and assembled. This is equivalent to someone buying a lot of beads from various locations, mixing them up into different "sets" and then representing those bead sets as being made by them.
There's nothing wrong at all with selling bead collections. What is wrong is claiming that you made the beads when you didn't.
Know What You're Buying
Artisan beads are made one-at-a-time. Most bead artists I know don't like to keep making the same colors and styles over and over again. For the most part, we are constantly trying new colors, designs and shapes. It's part of the charm of artisan beads, that you won't see the beads you bought on other people.
What To Expect
True artisan-quality lampwork will always:
- Be kiln-annealed. When a bead is made, it undergoes a lot of stress, with the heating and cooling. Annealing the beads in a kiln "relaxes" the beads so they are less prone to cracking.
- Have smooth holes. There should be no sharp edges to the holes that can snag materials or even cut beading wire.
- Be cleaned of bead release. Bead release is a powdery white material that coats the mandrel while the bead is being made. It it wasn't for the bead release, the bead would simply melt onto the mandrel and never come off. Now it's always possible that a bead artist might miss a spot of bead release when cleaning the beads, but artisan-quality beads will never be full of bead release that you will have to try and clean.
So when you look at the photos, check the close-ups. Also be sure to read the particulars of the beads (like if they were kiln-annealed and possibly what kind of glass was used). And in addition to what you see below, here's a link to .
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 JMoore Handmade Glass Lampwork Beads MINI SET MS 395  US $3.55
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 Lampwork Glass Beads Blue 3 Flower Heart Pendant 1pc US $2.99
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 Handmade Lampwork Glass Spacers Beads Ivory US $10.00
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 10pcs Mixed Lampwork Glass Beads Flower Heart Pendant US $19.99
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 15 JMoore Studios Handmade Lampwork Spacer Beads SP204 US $1.75
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 5 JMoore Handmade Lampwork Beads CARIBOU 5 356A US $3.11
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What Are Lampwork Beads?
You've heard the term, but what exactly are lampwork beads? In the broadest sense, they are beads made with a glass rod over a torch. Yet there are different kinds of lampwork -- let's explore them.
Your Basic Lampwork
Lampwork beads come from many countries. And while great lampwork can come from anywhere, there are differences, sometimes subtle, sometimes not.
In general, lampwork from Asia is rather crude (not to mention very, very inexpensive). Workers spend their days making bead after bead, usually the same design. Not a lot of thought generally goes into these beads -- it's more along the lines of produce as much as you can (mass production).
These beads are great for rainy day projects for the kids and for "throw-away" jewelry (the kind you wear a few times then discard).
Artisan Lampwork
This site really focuses on the artisan lampworkers out there. These beads are still crafted one at a time, but thought and care goes into them. You'll find many unique designs in all kinds of shapes, sizes and colors.
These are the beads you want if you're making jewelry that you want to last -- and perhaps even hand down to other generations.
More About Artisan Beads
I talk more about artisan beads in another post, and how to recognize them. But for now I'll leave you with some superb examples from the best place I know for artisan beads -- ebay.
Click on any of the links to see larger photos and more information. Or, here's a link to .
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 ROA Lampwork 8 Pearl Grey 5x8 mm Spacer Glass Beads SRA US $5.50
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 ROA Lampwork 4 Opaque Lime Ruffle Disc Glass Beads SRA US $5.98
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 ROA Lampwork 2 Dark Tsp Lime Ruffle Art Disc Beads SRA US $2.49
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