Me and Lampwork Glass
Welcome to Lawson Lampwork, home of lampwork glass beads.
To find out all about me, Susan Lawson and my lampwork bead adventures.
Don't miss out.......
This is me happily at work, beading the day and night away
I live with my husband Greig, two sons Noah and Barnie and my cat Sidney. My married name is Blackwell.
Growing up I enjoyed art and studied graphic design at college. I've always loved the look and feel of beads, so enrolled on a lampwork glass bead course and was hooked.......
I create my lampwork glass beads in my Chipping Sodbury studio, usually with my big fat cat Sidney snuggled up next to me, enjoying the heat from the kiln and some peace and quiet!
I am proud to be a self-representing glass artist and jewellery designer. Click on the logo's to find out more.....
SRA Member L-81
How to make lampwork glass beads
As you can see I use glass rods to individually make each lampwork bead and this is where the fun begins! A torch is used to heat the glass and the hot glass is wound on a mandrel which creates the bead hole.
Patterns can be formed in the glass and there are many different glass techniques that can be used.
One is to encase a bead in clear glass which magnifies the inner bead. I also really love my beads wrapped in fine silver for shimmer and encaseing brass wire to produce streams of golden bubbles.
Did you know it can take up to an hour to make a lampwork bead depending on the size and design!
Types of glass
The glass I use is excellent quality glass, mainly Effetre, CIM and Double Helix, so all of my beads are lovely and shiny (unless etched for a smooth matt effect).
There are so many different types of glass, some transparent, some opaque and some which produce a fantastic colour reaction such as silvered glass, as used in these silver core beads.
My prices vary as glass bundles can differ by as much as 10 times, depending on the type of glass used.
An example of glass in the pricier end of the spectrum is striking and reducing glass which I love using.
Striking glass changes colour when you heat it, cool it and then strike it again in the flame. This takes time and patience but results in fantastic colours, as shown in this bead ring. These lampwork glass beads have also been etched to remove the glass shine.
All my lampwork glass beads are annealed in my kiln to ensure they are strong and durable, as I want them to be enjoyed for a long time.
My favourite part is taking the beads out of the kiln and seeing my results, as no two are ever exactly the same!! Always a surprise!!
Jewellery Design
As well as making lampwork beads, I also love the creativity of turning these into beautiful beaded jewellery pieces.
Matching different materials such as silver or silk ribbon to the style I imagine and having the freedom to make the exact bead to perfect it.
A big thank you to all my customers who enjoy my work and through their support allow me to keep on beading - Thank you!
Links
If you are interested in glass and crafts, here are some more sites for you to look at:
My ETSY shop! Look here for more of my beads and jewellery.
This site is a general resource about art made from glass. I am listed on here.
A cornucopia of Crafts in the UK, with details of crafters, suppliers, craft guilds, organisations and forthcoming craft events. I am listed on here.
Contemporary fused glass jewellery, gifts and art by Dawn Jackson.
A jewellery students thoughts and work.
Handmade jewellery, supplies and workshop holidays.
Beautiful beads by Josephine Wadman.
Fused glass bowls and accessories including jewellery and lampworked beads.
Other links to more of my favourite sites.........
Birthing pool hire. I used these for both of my births and they helped considerably.
