The Beauty of Glass - Cane/Furance Glass

Welcome to The Beauty of Glass Series, this is the first article in a series to come giving an overview of some of the most beautiful and sought after glass beads in the world. Of course it is beautiful, but what does it take to create that beauty? Explore the world of glass with Article #1 Cane/Furance Glass:

Besides its beauty, what makes cane glass so wonderful, worth every penny and my favorite type of glass beads?

All cane glass beads we use in our jewelry are handmade in the United States by renowned artists. Cane glass is also often called furnace glass, the glass is pulled into long canes, and annealed in a large furance giving reference to both names.

The cane glass is all hand blown glass made in studios with equipment that typically is pretty expensive. Glass is collected on long steel pipes, that are kept hot in a furnace, over 2100 degrees. Layers of glass in a rainbow of colors is then added to give the desired effects. The glass is then blown to create the perfect tube!

The glass is then shaped and stretch, in many cases 20+ feet in length. The glass is then carefully annealed to get ready for cutting. Annealing is a process of making sure the glass is heated and then slowly cooled down. This gives the glass greater strength.

Once the glass has been annealed it is usually cut into the desired sizes, polished and then ready for use! High quality cane glass is crystal clear with bright and vibrant colors, cheaper mass produced cane glass in available but the quality is many times below artisan made glass.

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Watch the site for new articles, learn about Lampwork, Venetian and Millefiori glass soon!