What is lampworking and why is it called that?
Lampworking is an ancient type of glassworking that uses a gas fuelled torch to melt rods of glass. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking. Early lampworking was done in the flame of an oil lamp, with the artist blowing air into the flame through a pipe. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. Lampworked beads (with the exception of Asian and African beadmaking) have generally been from Italian and later Bohemian (Czech) lampworkers, who for the last four hundred years kept the techniques secret. Thirty or so years ago, some American artists started experimenting with the form, and so evolved into our modern day way of making beads. It was around the late 1960’s when modern lampworking became recognized as a serious art form. Most artists today use torches that burn either propane or natural gas, with either air or pure oxygen. There are many different types of torches and fuels, made for w
