Whats in a name?
Why do we call it lampwork you ask? The art of melting glass has been around for a very long time. Although a specific date can’t be placed on the origin of glass beads, most say it came around the Roman Empire time (9th century BC). The art got its name “lampwork” because back in the old day artisans used oil lamps to heat and melt the glass that would then be wound around a metal mandrel coated in a bead release agent. I’ve read that beads use to be valued above gold, imagine that!
Up until about 30 years ago the art of lampworking, its process, and the tools used were kept secret by Italian artisans from the rest of the world. American artists started to dabble around and come up with ways to make glass beads. There were no classes, books, videos, specific tools, or even teachers. So it was a lot of trial and error. Many of the American artists had to trade and share ideas with other American artists and invent their own tools, with most of them still in use today. Today with all the easy access to books, DVDs, proper tools, teachers and classes, the lampworking world has exploded with popularity and continues to grow.
We do not use oil lamps anymore but the name has still hung on for the long haul. In today’s modern time mixed gas torches that run off either propane or natural gas and oxygen are what is most widely used. Which has made more and more people start to call the art “flameworked” but I would much rather call it lampwork and keep the roots and history intact to the age old art.