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ABOUT
CZECH LAMP-WORKED BEADS
Lamp-worked beads are among the oldest glass
objects in human history. Glass beads have been made in Bohemia (part of
today’s Czech Republic) since Roman times. From the earliest times
there have been many ways of forming glass beads. The earliest was to wind
molten glass around a form coated with release material, creating round
beads. Today’s lamp-worked beads are a continuation of this tradition,
albeit a much more complex and labor-intensive variant of this glass bead-making
technique.
Czech
lamp-worked beads were first made in the homes of artisans in rural northern
Bohemia using paraffin oil glass burners – “lamps”. Modern
bead-makers use torches fueled by propane gas mixed with oxygen after it
comes out of the torch. Czech torches are positioned almost horizontally.
The artisan sits behind a narrow glass shield, holding a wire coated with
clay in one hand and a glass rod in the other. Over the flame of the torch
she winds the molten glass around the wire, creating one bead at a time.
The
artisans use spatulas, tweezers, and other tools, as well as various decorative
materials such as glass shards, pieces of gold or silver foil, and different
color glass strands that help create roses and other decorations inside
and outside the beads. Finished beads are left to cool; they are then dipped
in water to dissolve the clay coat and release them from the wire, rinsed
in water and let dry.
Lamp-worked beads are expensive
because each is made individually over a propane lamp, in many layers; a
task that requires considerable skill and imagination from the artist. Today,
the tradition is upheld mostly thanks to dedicated young women who work
from their homes, creating these amazing beads to order, for individual
customers or dealers.
The main specialty and export article of small and large Czech glass bead manufacturers and exporting firms are pressed beads and fire polished beads. These serve as components in the jewelry design of many styles, or on their own.
The Czech Republic also has a long tradition
of producing intricate glass buttons, glass eyes for stuffed toys, and glass
figurines. World-famous is Czech cut crystal in the form of breathtaking
dishes, vases, wine glasses and other decorative and serving pieces. The
Czech Republic produces and exports a huge quantity of fashion jewelry worldwide.
A little known fact is that artists such as Daniel Swarovski, Blanka Matragi,
and many others started their careers there.