Click Here for Other Fan/Light Pulls!

Don't Let These Beautiful Pulls Spin Away - Buy Now!!!  

HISTORY

The "lamp" of lampwork, historically was the heat source originally used to melt the glass cane.  Prevelent in beadmaking, an artist makes beads using a rod called a mandrel, sticks of glass and a torch. They melt the glass with the torch and swirl it onto the mandrel. When the base bead has been formed, other colors of glass can be added to the surface to create many designs. They can also add decorations like flowers, dots and ribbons by placing tiny strings or dots of molten glass on the bead. After this initial stage of the beadmaking process, the bead can be further fired in a kiln to make it more durable. The end result is a beautiful bead that is truly individual.<p>

Lampwork is an ancient technique of using a flame to melt glass. Hot glass working skills came to us from a long history starting with the Syrians around 1700 BC, the Egyptians around 1450 BC, the Chinese around 550 BC, the Romans at the turn of the first millennium, and with the French, German, Italian, Indian and Islamic folks bringing us up to the present. The "lamp" in lampwork came from the oil lamps and blowpipes originally used in seventeenth century France and Italy. Blowing by mouth or with a bellows into an oil lamp flame with a small pipe makes just enough heat to soften and form the softer types of glass.<p>

Lampworking became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century - and thus these pieces are often referred to as "Murano" glass. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today.

Click Here for More NCarolinaTreasures!