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Bill makes beads using mainly soft glass from Italy and a bench mounted torch in a process known as Lampworking. Although this falls under the generic heading of "glassblowing", no blowing is involved.
No molds are used in this technique. The glass is melted and worked in a propane / oxygen torch and built up on a steel mandrel in layers. The bead and it's mandrel then go directly from the torch into an oven running at 940F for annealing.
The colors you see in our beads is all glass. Each different color starts out as a separate stick of solid glass that is built in layers from the inside out. All design work that is "inside" was on the surface at one point in making the bead.
These beads are not mass produced in a factory. Each is built one at a time in our studio in Montana. Whether the design is a simple one or very complex, the price reflects the time and difficulty of the work.
We get this one also! Since we began selling at art fairs in Montana, we have tried to offer the highest quality beads at an affordable price. We have made thousands of beads, and constantly compare our pricing to other serious bead makers. We strive to be fair to the customer, as well as other artists.