Looking To Buy Wholesale Lampwork Beads? Here's What You Need To Know

By Author: Ador Talukdar
Total Articles: 30
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Knowledge is everything when you are looking to buy things online. Knowing as much about the product you are looking to buy can help you make the right choice and get the best value for your money. This is also true for wholesale lampwork beads.

Lampwork beads are one of the most popular types of beads used in jewelry making today and they are quite unique too. This is because quality lampwork beads are not made by machine or mass produced in factories. Each bead is made by hand by an artisan who has years of experience in the creation of lampwork beads. The technique used in the creation of these beads is also unique. Open flame or a torch is used to melt glass and give shape to the beads. There are many other things that you need to know to help you buy quality wholesale lampwork beads.

One of the first things to make sure is that the beads are kiln annealed. You don't want the beads to break on you suddenly right? Therefore, always ensure that a kiln has been used to enhance the durability of the beads. Most of the beads that come from India and China are not kiln annealed.

You must also ensure that the ...
... bead holes are not sharp as this can cut the wire you use for threading. Smooth flat and clean edges are signs of good craftsmanship. Although you cannot feel the beads when you buy online, you can pay a closer look at the pictures and find out if the beads have a rough look towards the end.

You must also look for undercuts which will help you ensure whether or not the dots are securely attached to the base of the bead. Also, check out if the beads are lopsided. It is important that sculptural beads which have appendages, eyeballs on stalks or wings are firmly based so they do not knock off.

Chill marks on lampwork beads can be caused due to thermal shock. These can be identified as tiny rings on the surface of the beads. These are not part of the design. According to many artisans, chill marks are caused when beads are not evenly heated before they are annealed in a kiln. This cause greater internal stress on the glass and make them susceptible to breaking.

Bubbles within the beads are considered as part of the design by some people. But the fact is that bubbles are a result of poor workmanship. Lots of bubbles closer to the surface of the beads can weaken the structure of the beads and they could break easily. To know whether the bubbles are a part of the design or not, check out where they are located. Intentional bubbles that add to the beauty of the beads will be located deep within the bead and they will make the bead look quite awesome.

When buying wholesale lot of lampwork beads, another thing that you must check out for is the type of glass used in its creation. Some quality glass include moretti, Vetrofond, spectrum, Bullseye, Lauscha, some Czech glass and hard glass known as Borosilicate.
Lastly, you may want to look for labels to be extremely sure that the beads you are buying are indeed high quality. SRA in tags means Self-Representing Artist. You can also look out for tags such as Member of ISGB, LE or WC. These tags add credibility to the online seller.

Are you looking to buy quality wholesale lampwork beads? If you are, then visit us at pandahall.