Artisan beads are unique and one-of-a-kind creations that originate in the mind of an artist. Cheap imported beads are mass-produced, and are very often poor copies of artisan beads. The overseas factories have representatives that attend bead shows and actually purchase artist beads for the purpose of shipping off to the factory and having rip-offs made.

Aesthetically speaking, artisan beads are cleaned and examined to make sure they are free of defects and cleaned of all bead release so they are immediately ready for the designer to use. The factory beads are not. They are sold with bead release still in the holes (that is the white powdery stuff), and are often cracked or have little bits broken off.

The glass rods used by bead artists are clean and free of inclusions which can show on finished beads and the colors have depth and beauty. The rods are tested by the glass manufacturers to ensure it is not only high quality, but compatible with like-glass and consistent in COE. The glass is typically made in Europe (Effetre, Vetrofond, Lauscha, etc.) or the U.S.A. (Bullseye, Double Helix, etc.), and there is one great brand made in Japan (Satake).

The glass used in foreign factories is made with low quality glass that looks dirty upon close inspection. No care is taken to test the glass for compatibility, resulting in breakage later. Also, bead factories do not anneal their beads - for them, kilns are an unneeded expense and waste of time.

When you're wInding glass around the mandrel to make a bead, the glass is about 1500 F. You need to cool the bead very slowly. And so, the bead is placed in a kiln at 940 F for one hour then the temperature is slowly ramped down following a specific program. This is called annealing. Beads must be carefully annealed.

Glass shrinks as it cools. Bringing a bead out of the flame and leaving it in the open air allows the outside of the bead to cool rapidly, while the inside is still burning hot. The stress point between the cool, shrinking glass and the hot center begins to grow causing the bead to crack. Sometimes unannealed beads don't crack immediately but they will.

The best way to properly cool beads is in a kiln, where temperatures can be closely regulated. The beadmaker "soaks" the beads for one hour to make sure that all glass inside and out is the same temperature, then slowly steps-down the heat to bring them to room temperature. All my glass beads offered for sale are kiln annealed.

Artisan bead artists have invested a lot of time and money into learning their craft and acquiring the proper materials and equipment so they can use their artistic talent and imaginations. It is because of this investment that bead prices are higher, particularly for the more experienced bead artists, as well as using higher quality glass. They truly are little works of art.

Factory bead makers are paid very little, and many factories (such as those in China and India) utilize child labor. They work in sweatshop conditions. Because a bead factory is selling to the masses, the bead makers aren't concerned with using their imagination or "creative vision" and the beads have no life to them. Their concern is simply to produce as many beads as possible, as fast as possible.

Please be aware of the fact that many advertise their "value" beads as "artist-made beads" and "lampworked beads." These items are machine made or mass produced and little longevity is to be expected. Basic economics simply don’t allow for an intricate, hand-worked bead to be priced as low as some vendors charge…… just ask any artist! The old adage applies here, "you get what you pay for." There is strong evidence that these imports are not properly kiln annealed or cleaned in a manner keeping with a usable, quality product expected to be found in any jewelry making project or high-end gift emporium. Luckily, many experienced buyers are educated enough to know if they are looking at a mass-produced product or a one of a kind, high quality piece of wearable art.

As the fate of masters from the days gone by, true value of art doesn’t manifest until sufficient time goes by. Millions of dollars are being swayed between art lovers and jewelry dealers, while the artist is being remembered through his work. This is why quality and expertise are invaluable when making an investment. Whether on a pedestal at a high-end jeweler, or on your daughter’s neck (something old, something new), the piece has to last!

One of the best ways to ensure that your money is well spent is to know your artist. If they sell on an auction site; check what others have had to say about their creations. Send them e-mails asking for more pictures, what type of glass they use, the COE - the more detailed and technical the questions, the more assurance you have that the artist knows their craft

It is not certain in which of the civilizations of the ancient Near East glass was first made. The earliest glass objects from Egypt are beads dating after 2500 BC.

The contemporary glass movement was born in the United States in the early 1990s and soon led to the creation of the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers). Unlike earlier glass beadmakers, especially in Murano, Italy, who faced a death penalty if found talking about their trade, the American beadmakers were and are eager to share their knowledge of this art form.

If this art has become so popular and acknowledged, it is because of the hard work and generosity of a handful of pioneers, and I'm very grateful to them all.