It's hard to imagine a time when glass wasn't a part of everyday life, but for centuries glassmaking techniques were a carefully guarded secret. Fathers passed the craft of glassmaking to their sons, but rarely to anyone else.

How Lampwork Beads are Made

To create these beads, lampworkers melt narrow rods of glass with the flame of a torch. The molten glass is wound around a mandrel which is a thin length of stainless steel. The space occupied by the mandrel becomes a hole through the bead when the bed is slipped away.

                                 &...