What does the term “annealing” mean?
Annealing is a term frequently associated with glass beadmaking, and is a very important step in making a bead that will stand up to the wear and tear of daily use in jewelry. In plain words, it means, “to toughen something formerly brittle by heating and then very slow cooling; or; to render enduring.” Glass shrinks and becomes rigid as it cools. When cooled rapidly, the outside layer of the glass, or the “skin,” shrinks and hardens first. Meanwhile, the center of the glass, which remains red-hot, continues to shrink and “pull against” the hardened exterior of the bead or object. This creates “tension,” or “stress” between the two layers, and if the stress is severe, it will pull the glass apart. The result is a cracked or broken bead. This cooling process can be slowed down by placing the newly formed glass beads into a “kiln.” A kiln is a brick-lined or fiber insultated type of oven, that is specifically designed to produce and retain high temperatures. Generally, a range of 950 to
