Lampwork Glass Earrings - The Shallows

Lampwork Glass Earrings - The Shallows
  • Lampwork Glass Earrings - The Shallows
  • Lampwork Glass Earrings - The Shallows
£28.00

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Designed and made by Indigo Silver. Stunning handmade boro glass beads with a white base and pattern of blues, browns and caramel. We've added Swarovski crystals in indigo blue to tone. Unusual handmade sterling silver elfin earwires complete the look. These really are absolutely gorgeous!!
Drop is 52mm from apex of earring.

Lampwork is the term used for making beads and other shapes from melting and forming glass in a flame - hundreds of years ago, the glass used to be heated over a small oil burning lamp, hence the term 'Lampwork'.

Two types of glass

There are predominately two types of glass that are used to make lampwork glass jewellery - they are soft glass which contains soda and lime and a hard glass which is called borosilicate. Soft glass melts at a lower temperature and is therefore seen as easier to work with, however it has its drawbacks too as it is more brittle than the aptly named hard glass. Borosilicate requires a higher temperature to work in and therefore needs a torch that uses pure oxygen to produce the hotter flame which is also used in the colouring of the chemicals in the glass. Whichever glass is used, once molten and formed into the finished piece, the glass has to be annealed fully. This is done by use of a kiln which keeps the glass at a high temperature and then very slowly decreases the temperature to avoid shocking and cracking the piece - this makes it hard wearing too.

Turning glass into jewellery

Making beads is a very skilled undertaking. Knowledge of which colours work well together chemically and good hand co-ordination are important. The artist starts by using a metal rod called a mandrel which is used as the base around which the bead is formed. They will dip it in a release agent which can be clay-based to allow the bead to come off after annealing. Then they will select the glass to be used, which is also in a rod form. Both the glass and the mandrel are gently heated in a fixed flame until the glass is pliable enough to wind around the mandrel. This is done by rotating the mandrel in one hand whilst offering up the glass with the other. Many layers can be added, and techniques applied to incorporate bubbles or indents. Usually to finish, a layer of clear glass will be added to the bead which has the effect of magnifying to give depth. The beads can be shaped by gravity or by using tools, paddles or presses.

Once the artist is happy with the finished result, the mandrel is placed into a kiln where the temperature is raised to a specific heat for the type of glass to allow it to reach its stress relief point. It’s held at this temperature for a period of time and then cooled very slowly. It is not until the artist opens the kiln after cooling that they can see if the colours and design they have used have been successful. The beads are taken off the mandrel and thoroughly cleaned, removing all traces of the clay release agent inside the bead hole. Sometimes a lampwork artist will work on a bead after this process. This is called cold working and can include sandblasting, etching and grinding. The effects can make for very different finishes on the beads which usually differ from the otherwise shiny and very obvious glass appearance.

All of our jewellery will be supplied in an Indigo Silver branded presentation box, with the exception of a limited number of remaining 'D for Diamond' branded items.

You can also select gift wrap with a personal message in your basket for just £2.95!

Dispatch

Much of our jewellery is made to order so dispatch will usually be within 3 working days of order. Please note that dispatch of custom orders may take slightly longer but do contact us if your order is required urgently.

UK Delivery

Orders up to and including £30 will be delivered by Royal Mail First Class post at just £2.95 per order - usually within 1 to 2 working days of dispatch.
Orders over £30 will be delivered FREE by Royal Mail First Class post - usually within 1 to 2 working days of dispatch.
We also offer Royal Mail Next Day delivery for £7.50 - please contact us first to ensure stock availability.

International delivery

Unfortunately, we are currently unable to accept orders from outside of the UK.

Returns

We want you to be 100% satisfied with all purchases, so please do contact us immediately if for any reason you are not completely happy. If you do wish to return an item, then contact us within 28 days of delivery to arrange a refund or exchange.

Refunds

Once your return is received and inspected, we will acknowledge receipt and confirm approval of your refund by email. Your refund will then be processed and a credit applied to your original method of payment within 5 working days (typically but subject to usual banking process).

Exchanges or Modifications

We recognise that it's not always easy to get it right first time when buying online. So if you would like to exchange an item or need a modification, then do contact us for assistance.

Return Shipping

To return your item(s), you should address them to: Indigo Silver, 122 Kings Road, Fleet, Hampshire UK, GU51 3DU. Your item(s) must be returned in the same condition that you received it and using the original packaging.

You will be responsible for paying your own shipping costs for returning an item. However we will refund your shipping cost if returning due to a fault or an error on our part. If you are shipping an item over £50, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.