About Lampara Glass Jewels

  My lampwork glass bead journey began In 2001, when I started making jewelry in my home while living in China with my family. I would spend countless days meandering through the pearl and gem markets in Beijing, admiring the shiny little pearls and gems, and contemplating on how to put them together in handcrafted jewelry for my friends and family. After moving back to Canada in 2004, I started making and selling my jewelry with the pearls and semi-precious stones I brought back from China. I sold my jewelry in several boutiques in Fort McMurray and Calgary.

  In 2006, I wanted to add a more personal element to my handcrafted jewelry, so I took several lampwork glass beadmaking classes at Red Deer College. I was hooked! Being able to create beautiful glass beads from rods of glass and a torch is an incredibly creative process.  I find immense joy in transforming the glass into organic shapes, exploring rich color palettes, and crafting unique beads. I enhance the beads with a particular type of glass that has actual silver in it, which makes my beads and jewelry glisten like little glass gems. This special glass, when manipulated by the torch, brings the silver to the surface of the bead which can give a metallic, iridescent or pearlescent effect. All my beads are annealed in a kiln to relieve internal stress, and prevents them from cracking or shattering due to thermal shock. This process makes the bead more durable and strong for final use. They are then ready to be crafted into jewelry that I design.

   In June 2025, after a 10 year hiatus, during which time I made fused glass, and had a pottery studio on Vancouver Island, I have returned to Calgary and the craft that is true to my heart...lampwork glass beads!

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Thanks for visiting my site!

Mary Flores

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