More thoughts from a newcomer
Re: Glass Bead Collecting: Past, Present, & Future -- Cody Post Reply Edit Forum Where am I?
Posted by: floorkasp Post Reply
05/24/2017, 13:19:14

I too am fairly new to bead collecting. It has been about 10 years ago that I picked up my first collectible beads with the interest to learn more about them.

It seems to me that a lot of what is changing in the world of bead collecting, is changing in the world of collecting as well. A friend of mine used to collect a specific book that would be available only once a year, in an annual edition. It brought him great joy to chase the ones he did not have yet. I once asked him which ones were still missing, and within 10 minutes I ordered one of them online from a specialized dealer. When I gave it to him, he asked me where I got it. I told him: 'You don't want to know'. His joy of collecting was the hunt, and I did not want to take that away.

The online marketplace for collectibles may have taken away some of the magic of collecting. For some people, this makes a big difference. For others, not so much.

I would love to see more knowledge being shared on beads and bead research. I try to do my part, for example by trying to get more information on bead history to current lampwork artists, and doing research. Others are doing the same.

However, I agree that so many of the collectors who have been at this so much longer, have a wealth of knowledge. It would be great if more of this knowledge could be written down, shared, captured.

I do not think the golden age of bead collecting has passed, but I do think it has changed, and it is very much 'in flux'. Preparing for the Borneo Bead Conference later this year, seeing the speakers, reading the old journals, made me see so many bead researchers that I had never heard of, mostly from Asia. Perhaps in the US and in Europe, bead collecting is not at it's peak right now, but interesting things appear to be happening in other places. Or maybe it always has been, but it has only now appeared on my radar.

Very specifically: my interesting in collectible beads made me want to make my own glass beads. Now, I try to connect the two. Birdi, you stated that Moretti glass was no longer being made. From what I understood, Effetre is the current producer of the Moretti glass rods. Same glass, new name. The other Italian glass rod producer is Vetrofond. There's also beautiful lampwork rods being made in Lauscha, Neugablonz and Jablonec.



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