What exactly is a lampwork bead?
Sometimes known as “lamp winding,” the term is derived from the gas torch, or “lamp” in which the artisan heats colored glass rods to fluidity and, in the case of bead making, winds the molten glass around lengths of specially-coated steel wire (mandrels). Once the base bead is made, other colors of melted glass are applied to form designs or cleverly formed into shaped beads.
