Yesterday I was having a conversation with Claire who came for a lampworking lesson. I asked her for her opinion on bumpy beads - the type with raised dots.I've known people who hate them and people who love them. They're a bit of a Marmite thing, I guess. I decided that I'd do a little blog-based survey about bumpy beads so I could get some actual stats on the topic.
Over on the right hand side of my blog is a little poll. If you get a second please could you vote? This is totally to satisfy my own curiosity on the matter and the results will bear no relation to what beads I do and don't produce in the future. I'm just intrigued.
If you have any further comments or opinions on the (oh-so highly important) matter of bead bumps then please do post them in my comments section.
Thanks muchly!
PS : The 'Maria' beads up there are long gone - I'm just using them as an example of bumpy beadness.
I love the bumpy beads-they are so cute!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I would say is I've had a bracelet with bumpy beads and a bump or 2 has come off :0((
that could be down to the quality of the bumps though eh?
Bumps that have a larger surface connected to the bead would be best I think.
These beads looks scrumptious!
Fhi - you're quite right. If a dot comes off it means that it wasn't melted in enough. There should be no 'undercut' to the bump. It should look semi-circular from the side. If it's not then a bash or a knock or two could make the dots chip off. Hope that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI see many a dotty bead where the dots seem to be clinging on for dear life. It's best to steer clear of those.
I love bumpy beads, they look more interesting and are great to feel and twiddle with! Smooth is good too though.
ReplyDeleteBeing devils advocate...for me it depends on the size of the raised bump. If they are too big i don't like them. A bit of texture is great but nothing much more.
ReplyDeletei love those beads and the bumps too!
ReplyDeleteNaomi
:)
I must say it depends on the bumps. My first "serious" lampwork beads were bumpy. Lately I've been drawn to beads with a lot of bumps on then...I don't know how to describe them, they almost look like sea urchins. More bumps than smooth surface.They look very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone. These are all interesting comments.
ReplyDeleteKeep those votes coming!
Got to admit I'm not too keen on the bobbles, but I do like raised bands/stripes etc. All depends on the bead really.
ReplyDeleteI like bumpy beads as long as they aren't too big. :)
ReplyDeleteI hit the button too fast, lol... that is a gorgeous set of beads! :)
ReplyDeleteYes! Anything you do, I love. Some forms of bumps don't catch my eye immediately, but then I'll change my mind later. At the moment, I like both.
ReplyDeleteBumps have grown on me (not literally!) I think it's kind of an acquired taste rather than a love/hate thing. I didn't used to like them at all. My sisters both dislike bumpy beads but as I've got more and more drawn into the world of lampworking, I've grown to love them more and more and have even made some myself (not anywhere near as good as Laura's). For me, I'd compare it with the first time I tasted wine when my mum gave me a sip at around the age of 12, I thought awful-awful-awful but as my tastes have become more sophisticated, I find I can't get enough!
ReplyDeleteLike many people, I like them as long as they are not too pronounced, love the colours used on this set.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Beadypool. Some texture is great - so tempting to feel (my fingers never like being still). But too many or too pointy and it would be uncomfortable to wear.
ReplyDeleteThe centres of the flowers on the beads in your next blog would be about right for me. not too many bumps, and only a slight raise.
BTW The beads look fantastic. I'd never thought of having a contrasting colour in the middle of the bead, with a opaque colour around it. And the etching adds to the variation of the colour.
Liz