FAQs

How’s it made?

Everything is designed and melted by me. I melt individual rods of coloured glass in a small flame, moving the glass with tiny tools until I’m happy with the shape. The finished piece is put in a kiln overnight to anneal, which reduces stress in the glass makes it more durable. When cool I clean and do any assembly work needed to make the pieces into, for example, jewellery or Christmas decorations.

My technique is called lampworking or flameworking. It has been traditionally used to make glass beads. It has a long history dating back to the 5th century BCE and was popularised in Murano, Italy in the 14th century.

How long does it take you to make something?

About 30 years! That’s how long I’ve been working in glass. This experience feeds into everything I make, however fast or slow I am making the current piece. I’m always learning.

Can you make bigger stuff?

Nope, I work just in miniature. Although what I do shares some of the same techniques used by glass blowers. If you’re after bigger stuff you’re going to need someone with a bigger torch!

Do they break?

Glass is fragile by its very nature, so be sensible and take care. Unless specifically made as jewellery I suggest my pieces should not be worn as jewellery. They are collectables and not toys. We’re all human and accidents do happen, and I can sometimes fix them, so get in touch and I’ll see what I can do.

Do you supply shops, galleries or wholesale?

I am a co-operative Member of The Gallery at the Guild in Chipping Campden where my work can be found for sale all year round. I do occasional one off exhibition projects but I don’t supply shops, galleries or do wholesale orders because I’m just too busy enjoying myself manning my stall at events or working on commissions.

Can you post outside the UK?

Currently I am only posting within the UK.

Do you teach?

I don’t but I can put you in touch with some great teachers who have their workshops set up especially for students to learn lampworking or beadmaking.

Can you make anything in tiny glass?

Yes…and no. From experience some things will work, others may seem easy at first and a memorable few turn into a big fat nightmare.  Some things suit my ‘style’ better and I’ll be honest with you if I think my style of work isn’t for you or if your idea isn’t for me.

Will I get exactly the object in the photograph?

Every single one of my pieces is made one at a time and you’ll get the joy of an individual artist-made piece with its own idiosyncrasies. For earrings I try and match each one as closely as possible but they’re never be carbon copies. As a human being who has good making days and iffy ones, I also contend with glass which might be a different ‘recipe’ to last time and equipment which sometimes has a mind of its own. The flip side is, there are some wonderful happy accidents!