Furnace Cane Glass Beads

Cane Glass Beads (also known as Furnace Glass Beads) are a special type of art bead made using traditional glass working techniques from Italy that is more often employed to make art glass objects than in bead making. They began to appear back in the 15th century. The manufacture of these beads requires a large glass furnace (hence the furnace portion of the name) and a annealing kiln. The cane portion of the name comes from the way in which the beads are made. Different rods of heated glass (known as canes) are laid out together;the canes are then, pulled, cut and shaped.

Cane beads are unique in that the outer case portion of the bead appears as tiny colored lines, or stripes, incased in what is usually a clear glass (though newer versions have started to incorporate some slight color into the outer casing). The inner core comes in a variety of colors giving the outer casing the appearance of being one solid color yet producing a depth not achievable with ordinary lampworking techniques.

An often asked question is how Chinese Cane Glass Beads compare to David Christensen's Cane Glass Beads. The answer is, they don't! David Christensen is considered the elite of the cane bead world. David Christensen cane glass beads use the finest quality glass, very sophisticated caning techniques, and have smoothed edges. Does that mean you shouldn’t use Chinese Cane Glass? Not at all! Chinese Cane Glass is great for inexpensive fashion jewelry and makes beautiful bracelets and earrings. Just check out our tutorial section for some great examples on how to use the Chinese cane glass beads.

The Beading Emporium

The Beading Emporium™~ P.O. Box 774 La Grange, KY 40031 ~ (502) 797-2434

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