Handmade lampwork beads are more available now than ever before. These beautiful, small works of art are created by lampwork artists all over the English speaking world, at least. And the efforts and skill of the best produce unbelievable lampwork aquarium beads and lampwork fish beads. Of all the possibilities, including flowers, fruit, shells, cats, dogs, and non-animate forms, the aquarium bead is perhaps the most beautiful, and for fish lovers like me, the fish beads are fun, fun, fun.
The aquarium bead are usually large lampwork focal beads with many layers of clear glass. Between each two layers of the clear glass, the lampwork artist draws fish or other sea creatures with small glass rods. As the layers are added, the underwater scene becomes populated with fish, coral, sponges, starfish, sea turtles, dolphins, whales and all sorts of other creatures. One final casing of clear glass and the bead is ready to anneal. These boro lampwork beads are intricate and requires close and prolonged examination to see everything the artist put into this one bead.
The lampwork fish bead, on the other hand, is not so subtle. The fish form is an easy on to make, and the body and fins give the lampwork artist plenty of scope for creating bright designs and fancy frills. Of all the lampwork glass beads, the fish ones are most likely to make the viewer smile, even as they marvel at the delicate, see-through fins. A funny face is often used on these beads as well, and the artists have fun making them.
Some of the lampwork artists make boro lampwork beads of real fish. In this case, enough of the outside features of the real fish must be included to allow those familiar with fish to recognize it. Pam Dugger is one such artist. She has made replicas of many reef fish, over the past ten years that I know of. If you get a chance to see her beads, take it, or take her class and learn to make your own fish beads.
Almost all handmade lampwork beads are beautiful, and those that aren’t are not by design. Check the books and magazines where lampwork beads are pictured, and get to a bead show or two, and see if you do not want an aquarium bead or fish bead of your own.