Casing -  The application of one layer of glass (usually a clear, transparent glass) over another to cover the entire surface of the bead.

COE - Coefficient of Expansion.  The relative amount that glass will expand when heated

Compatibility -  Glass that has the same COE are compatible with one another.  Which means that they are able to be joined while hot, with out separating from each other when cooled.

Cutting - The technique of severing glass by introducing it to the flame, and allowing the heat of the torch to cut the glass.

Dichro glass -  Thin layers of metallic oxides are deposited onto the surface of the glass in a high temperature, vacuum furnace.  This process creates glass that will reflect to different colors of glass, depending on the angle at which the piece is viewed.  Due to the process of creating this form of glass, it can cost up to ten times more than standard glass.

Drawing -  The process in which stringers are made by heating a glass rod to form a ball of molten glass, then pulling, or drawing, the glass to make a longer, thinner piece.

Feathering -  A contrasting color of glass is laid onto the core bead in either a line, or a series of dots.  A tool called a rake, it looks similar to a dentists pick, is then drawn thru the glass to form the pattern, which is also referred to as combing.

Filigrana -  An opaque glass rod which is encased with clear.

Frit -  Glass that has been ground into varying consistencies (from fine sand-like powder to coarse chunks).  It is then applied to the surface of the bead, and either melted in, or left as texture on the bead.

Graphite - A form of carbon used in making lampworking tools due to the fact that it will not stick to hot glass.

Kiln - A high temperature insulated brick oven used to anneal glass beads.

Lampwork -  Also referred to as flamework, it is a process dating back to the Middle Ages, in which glass is heated over a flame.  Then, oil lamps were used to create the flame, today torches are used in combination with a mix of propane and oxygen to create the heat needed to turn glass to its molten form. 

Marvering -  A hot glass bead is rolled over a  graphite paddle to shape the heated glass into a desired shape, such as a cone or cylinder.

Moretti -  Also known as Effetre is a soft glass from Italy.  Both opaque and transparent colors are available (refer to the color chart for the colors available).  The glass is heated to a working temperature of approximately 1700F.  The annealing temperature is between 920f-968f, with a strain or stress point of 840f.

Soft Glass - A sodalime glass which is called soft glass due to the fact that it has a lower melting temperature, thus allowing the glass to be softer, with a longer working time  to manipulated the glass once it has been removed from the flame.

Strike -  Glass that changes color when it is introduced to the flame.

Stringer - Stringers are created thru the process of drawing described above.  They are narrow glass rods (1mm-2mm) that are used to add fine detail to a beads surface.

Tooling -  Creating texture and pattern on a beads surface by the use of tools, such as a masher or a tweezers.

Wound glass -  Forming a bead by wrapping, or shaping  molten glass around a mandrel.