"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" — Picasso

About Glass Beads

The oldest known beads date back approximately 40,000 years and are a part of every culture throughout the world. In addition to conveying status, beauty or power to the wearer, beads are considered to be the earliest evidence of abstract thinking in humans.

Beads are an invaluable archeological tool because they tell of the cultural level and skill of the people who made them and help date other artifacts found at the same site. Early beads were made of material such as seeds, bones and shells.

Ancient Egyptians made beads using a ceramic precursor to glass called faience that was often used to simulate precious stones. The earliest known objects of man-made glass were beads, exotic rarities reserved exclusively for royalty. The beads were made with glass rods, heated and wound around a core.

"Lampwork" is the craft of making small objects from glass that has been melted in the flame of a torch. The "lamp" in lampwork came from the oil lamps and blowpipes originally used in seventeenth century France and Italy.

The craft of glassworking began with the Syrians around 1700 BC and the Egyptians around 1450 BC.The people of Hellenistic and Roman times perfected glass technology to such a point that intricate portraits and mosaics were made into tiny beads. In medieval Europe, glass making and lampworking was a secret passed from father to son. The secrets of glass making were and still are jealously guarded in Venice, which became the glass and beadmaking center of the world during the Renaissance.

The first book on glass making was published in the 17th century by a Florentine glassmaker named Antonio Neri. Beads then became relatively cheap to produce and were carried as ballast in the trade ships of early explorers and used as currency at their destination. Glass beads were exchanged for furs, tobacco and sugar in the Americas and for slaves, ivory and gold in Africa.

The evolution toward mass production in the 20th century was countered by Art Nouveau and the Arts and Crafts movement which stressed the importance of elegant design and individual craftsmanship in everyday objects. The emphasis of bringing good design within everyone's reach continues to play a strong role in the artistry of beadmaker's today.

Glass is no longer a rare and precious commodity reserved for an elite few. The technology is no longer shrouded in secrecy. Today there is a growing community of artisans who share their joy and creative energy with each other, guided by the principal of making beauty affordable and available to all.

Further Reading
What to look for when buying beads at auction
Making Glass Beads by Cindy Jenkins
The History of Beads From 30,000 B.C. to the Present
by Lois Sherr Dubin, Robert K. Liu