The beads Frances creates are made from rods of the finest Effetre glass from Murano, Italy. Each bead is individually designed and lovingly handcrafted using a lampwork gas torch which combines a mixture of oxygen and propane providing the extreme heat required to melt glass.
Once each bead is made it is then put into a kiln and annealed to ensure strength and long lasting durability.
When casting glass, John uses lead crystal and follows the ancient technique of lost wax. From a sculpture designed in clay or wax, a mold is made. After melting the wax out of the mold (hence the term "lost wax") the mold is put into a kiln where pieces of glass of different colours are melted into the hollow mold. The mold is then annealed over a number of days. When the kiln is cold the mold is removed and the outside shell carefully broken away to reveal the molten glass sculpture. From here the long finishing process begins; cleaning, sanding and polishing.Fusing (melting glass) is also an ancient technique. It is the fusion of compatible glasses which have been cut into shapes, assembled or stacked then melted at a high temperature until the desired amount of fusion has occured. At this point the glass is very slowly cooled (in the kiln) in order to prevent the glass 'shocking' and breaking.
