Normally, beads, even relatively large beads, are made into jewelry, ornaments and other, larger objects. However, as exceptions to this general rule, lampwork glass beads are beautiful in their own right and need nothing else to nmake them beautiful. These beads are small miracles of flame and glass, miniature works of art, and a admirier soon ends up with too many lampwork beads to have any hope of ever wearing as much jewelry as they would make. Thus, the collector ends up with a the beads in individual spaces in divided plastic boxes.

To make lampwork glass beads is relatively easy to begin, but harder to master. The types of beads possible, as well as the variations in colors. are unlimited once the lampworker has mastered the techniques used to make the beads. Most lampwork bead artists become known specifically for one or two beads, and a good place to begin a lampwork bead collection is by buying a couple examples of these signature beads. Another place to begin is buying beads early in their career from those just coming into their full potential as lampwork artists.

Whether you buy beads by established artists or neophytes, the handmade glass lampwork beads themselves will need a little care. Storing each of them in a cushy nest of felt or tissue paper will to soften any hard blows to the bead box. While most artists anneal their beads properly to make them fairly robust, these beads are still made of glass and can be chipped or destroyed. Nothing would be worse than dropping a box of these beauties on a hard floor, and having to open the box to damaged or destroyed beads.

The glass studio movement of the 1960s is the progenitor of the handmade lampwork glass beads movement. For collectors, there are only a couple of decades to catch up on to have a complete collection of lampwork beauties. In addition, more artists try this form of expression every year, so there will be new works of art to collect every day. Look for these miniature artworks in bead stores, at bead shows, and on the internet.