The beads in this collection are primarily Indian glass with some Chinese glass, mainly the pendants. There are many types of bead including lampwork and silver foil.

Lampwork beads are made on metal rods called mandrels. Molten glass is wound onto the rod before designs with other colours are added to enhance the bead. After the beads are made, they are put into a kiln to heat all the parts evenly. They are allowed to cool slowly to reduce the stress on the bead. This is called annealing and it is an important part of the process of beadmaking. Some lampwork beads are called wedding cake beads as they look like the icing on a wedding cake.

Silver foil beads have a core of silver foil inside the coloured glass, which reflects the light and makes the bead more eye-catching.

The majority of the bracelets and necklaces available in the glass bead gallery can be ordered in the following colours: blue, black, white/clear, pink, turquoise, amber, lime, amethyst and red. There are limited supplies of orange and yellow beads.

Due to the nature of handmade glass and the uniqueness of the designs, no two items of jewellery are exactly alike. Every effort is made to ensure that items delivered match the item's description.

Please click on the photo or the link above to view a range of glass bead colours.