Around 30,000 years ago, the Egyptians made the first glass beads. They used clay and vitreous coating and a host of other materials, and they succeeded in introducing glass beads to the world.
Blowing beads is the modern technique of blowing glass to create tiny glass beads. Glass beads are used to create simple jewelry, or to decorate lampshades or door curtains. As mentioned earlier, the Egyptians were probably the first people to invent a systematic process for producing glass beads. This process, however, is a far cry from how we do it today.
Making Blown Glass Beads
Here are the different ways to make glass blown beads:
Wound glass beads: the first true glass beads were probably made using this winding technique. In this method, the glass material is heated continuously until it becomes ductile or “workable.” It is then wound around or laid down on a steel wire until the glass assumes its desired form.
Drawn glass beads: In this method, a string is delicately drawn through the ductile glass material to produce a bubble and therefore create a hole in the center. This is a widely used technique in India and other Asian countries.
Lampwork beads: lampwork bead making is a labor-extensive variation of the winding technique.
Other notable types of beads include dichroic glass beads, furnace glass, and lead crystal.