Handblown Furnace Glass Cane Beads
Fine quality hand-blown furnace glass requires much skill, experience, creativity and stamina to make. It is produced by only a small number glassblowers in North America. Unfortunately much of what is offered in todays marketplace is mass produced with inferior materials of poor quality and imported from you know where…. !!!! We melt only the finest lead free crystal we have found for use in the creation of all our work. We have no employees and are not a factory. The batch we melt, (sand mixture) is called first melt crystal. The result is a beautiful clear colorless glass that is responsible for the superior sparkle and transmission of light. This ensures the highest possible quality in all our product that has been combined with compatible colored glass. To create our Furnace Glass Beads we first gather molten glass at 2100 degrees Farenheight from the furnace on a blowpipe. Next a layer of imported, densely colored glass is added, then several layers of clear, molten crystal are applied over the color to create the size of bead desired. Sometimes our previously made colored glass canes are added to create
stripes and spiraling patterns on the beads. A bubble is inserted through the blowpipe into the mass of glass. The glass is then heated and shaped many times until the shape and temperature is just right . At that point this becomes a team event when Tony and Virginia stretch the glass into tubes, much like taffy, to the length and diameters desired. After the glass tubes are put in the kiln to be annealed they are cut into lengths and sliced into beads. The beads go through a lengthy polishing process to produce a superior finish to enhance the vibrant colors and patterns in and on our beads. We are sure they will catch your eye and stimulate your imagination and creativity! Furnace beads are all different sizes and diameters due to the drawing down process involved when stretching the mass of glass. The color also may change dramatically within a pull. This contributes to their exquisite variations and individuality. We hope they inspire you to create new and distinctive designs within your creative body of work……
A selection of these beads are available in my Etsy Shop