About me

My name is Sylvie Dreyfus. I'm a glass beadmaker in Lausanne, Switzerland. I was fortunate to have attended classes with some of the most talented beadmakers of the United States and the UK :  Kristina Logan, Kate Fowle, Larry Scott, Jennifer Geldard, Tink Martin, Loren Stump and Diana East. Not only are they the famous artists we all know, but they are also fabulous teachers. They have influenced me in various ways and my work has greatly benefited from those experiences.

Nature, arts, fabrics, textures, a picture, a magazine, the glass itself... all trigger my imagination and inspire me. Experimenting is also a very important part of the creation process. Shape, color, texture are central elements of my work, but if I had to choose just one it would be the shape.

Even though I'm focused on the bead itself while working, I keep in mind that it will be worn and that is one of the most  rewarding aspects in creating a piece.

faQ

Are you really making those glass beads ?

This may seem an odd question to some of you, but often when I tell people that I've actually made the beads they're seeing on my table, I get that answer "Oh yes, you did a really nice job at stringing them!"  That gives me the opportunity to explain what lampworking and glass beadmaking is all about. I work with different glass brands, mainly with Effetre or Vetrofond and other compatible glasses (Lauscha, ASK, DH, Ornella, CIM, etc.), but sometimes I also use Bullseye.

Lampwork, handmade artisan beads are made of glass,
so do they easily get broken ?

When you're winding glass around the mandrel to make a bead, the glass is about 1500 F. You need to cool the bead very slowly. So, the bead is placed in a kiln at 940 F for about 30 minutes depending on the bead size and then the temperature is slowly ramped down following a specific programm. This is called annealing.

Why those steps, why anneal a bead ?

Glass is a poor conductor of heat so the surface of the bead is going to cool quickly, while the core remains very hot. Differences in temperature result in differences in viscosity, creating tension in the bead. In order to eliminate the tension, annealing is essential. A glass bead that has been annealed is durable and strong.

History : A Few Facts

It is not certain in which of the civilizations of the ancient Near East glass was first made. The earliest glass objects from Egypt are beads dating after 2500 BC.

Many civilizations have contributed in developing various glassbead making techniques that beadmakers still use today.

If you're interesting about finding out more on the subject, I highly recommend the book by Lois Sheer Dubin, The History of Beads.

The contemporary glass movement was born in the United States in the early 1990s and soon led to the creation of the ISGB (International Society of Glass Beadmakers). Unlike earlier glass beadmakers, especially in Murano, Italy, who faced a death penalty if found talking about their trade, the American beadmakers were and are eager to share their knowledge of this art form.

If this art has become so popular and acknowledged, it is because of the hard work and generosity of a handful of pioneers, and I'm very grateful to them all.