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Air & Earth Designs FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions)
I love hearing from my customers, visitors and fellow beadmakers. The comments I get in email are usually very nice and kind, and I sincerely thank everyone for the feedback! Sometimes questions get repeated a lot, so in the interest of saving time, I have drawn up this FAQ to help answer some of the most common questions. Please check this page before emailing me. Thanks!!
Bead Availability
(catalog, wholesale, auction, ordering information, etc.)
Payments
Shipping
Returns/Refunds
Educational/Lampwork Information
(what is lampwork, what are my beads made of, classes, etc.)
Website Information
(photography, what does air & earth mean, how is my info used, etc.)
Bead Availability:
Q.Where can I order your beads?
A. My beads are available for purchase occasionally via my Etsy shop or, more commonly, right here on the website. When I do have new beads available for sale, I announce it to my mailing list, and post a note in my Bead Forecast section on the home page.
**PLEASE NOTE - this will change very soon - please see my blog post on the Coloraddiction Blog for more information.
My gallery pages are basically my portfolio - these are beads that have already been sold, and are shown as a representation of my work. They are not for sale.
Q. Can you email me when you have specials or auctions available? / Do you have a mailing list I can join?
A. Yes! I have a newsletter that serves this purpose. :) That sign up is on the main page. You'll get email when I have a new auction or new specials up on the site.
Q. Do you have a printed catalog of beads?
A. No, I don't have a printed catalog.
Q. Do you sell wholesale?
A. I'm sorry, I do not offer wholesale pricing.
Q. Do you sell at bead shows?
A. I am just starting to do shows - please see my main page for announcements of shows when they come up! If there is nothing on the main page about shows, you can assume there are none scheduled.
Q. Is your work in bead stores/galleries?
A. I don't personally go and sell work to offline stores or galleries, but I have had store owners and gallery owners purchase beads I have had on auction or on the website, so you might see a few things here and there at some point. :) But I have no idea where! If you're a store or gallery owner and have my beads in your store/gallery, feel free to let me know so I can put up a link!
Payments:
Q. What payments will you accept?
A. For now, I am accepting PayPal payments. This has recently changed (as of Jan 2009) - I have closed my merchant account. Please feel free to email me if you have a payment preference and would like me to consider offering it.
Shipping:
Q. How soon will I get my beads? What's your shipping policy?
A. Domestic shipping is by USPS first class mail. International shipping is by International First Class Mail. If you'd like to pay via PayPal, are a US customer, and would like insurance, email me your order and I will send an invoice. My PayPal isn't set up to add insurance automatically, so please email me. I insure my packages using Stamps.com, which does not have any visible "insurance slip" on the package. It's electronic, so if anything happens with your insured package, please do let me know.
Items will be shipped within 1-2 business days of receiving payment. Shipments usually take 3-4 days in the US, 1-2 weeks internationally. For international shipping, please do allow 4-6 weeks. Please make sure the address you provide is correct and complete.
Please note that anyone making an international purchase is responsible for their own duty fees or any other fees imposed by their home country when receiving packages. I will not mark "gift" on customs forms, nor will I mis-represent the value of the items purchased. (It seems silly to put this here, but I have been asked for this many times - I cannot do this because there are hefty fees involved if I get caught).
Returns/Refunds:
Q. What is your return policy?
A. I want to make sure that you are completely happy with your bead purchase!
For returns/refunds in the same condition the items were sent: If for any reason you are not satisfied with any item purchased here at Air & Earth Designs, you may return it for a refund. I ask that you please obtain a refund authorization by emailing me within 10 days of receipt of the item. Refunds do not include shipping costs. I do reserve the right to impose a 10% restocking fee on returns. This is usually not necessary, but will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
For replacement of broken beads up to 6 months after you purchase them: If a lampwork bead should break during the first 6 months, you may return it for a replacement. Please email me and let me know if this happens. Breakage is rare, but does sometimes happen. Please do take reasonable care when using these beads - they are glass.
Educational/Lampwork Information:
Q. What are lampwork beads?
A. Lampwork is a term used to describe glass beads made by melting glass with a torch and wrapping it around a metal rod. The term "lampwork" was used many, many years ago when people used to blow air through oil lamps to melt the glass. More information as well as a glossary of terms can be found on my tutorial site Coloraddiction.com.
Many people who are new to beading sometimes confuse artisan-made lampwork with imported mass-produced lampwork from India, China, Turkey and the like. It's also easy to confuse artisan made lampwork with Czech or Venetian made lampwork, which are sometimes higher quality than mass-produced lampwork. Artisan made lampwork is almost always more expensive, but almost always higher quality, and it's often kiln-annealed so it won't break as easily.
Annealing is the process of slowly cooling beads in a temperature controlled kiln (oven) so that the glass molecules have a chance to slow down. This reduces stress in the glass, so that it becomes more stable and less breakable. Many sellers of mass-produced lampwork claim their beads are annealed. This is a misnomer - mass-produced lampwork, and even Czech lampwork are cooled in fiber blankets, sand, vermiculite or even nothing at all. This cools beads way too quickly, and does not reduce the stress in the glass - therefore the beads are far more breakable. To be annealed, glass must be placed in a kiln and cooled over a period of several hours (how long depends on the type of glass).
When buying lampwork, make sure you understand where it is coming from and what went into making it. Be careful you're not buying Chinese imported beads from people claiming to have made the beads themselves. There is a place for all beads - some of the mass-produced beads are very pretty these days, and cost effective for jewelry designers. However, artist made lampwork is usually of the highest quality - it's much less breakable, and beads are often very unique and made with more precision and care. Lampwork prices tend to vary so much, it's really hard to tell what's worth your money and what isn't. It's best to do your homework before buying any glass beads to make sure you are getting the quality you desire. Here are some links if you would like to find out more information:
Lampwork on Wikipedia
International Society of Glass Beadmakers
Q. What kind of glass/materials do you use to make your beads? Where do you get your supplies?
A. I use Italian, German, Chinese and American soft glass. Some of the brand names I currently use are Effetre (formerly Moretti), Vetrofond, Double Helix, Precision, Kugler, CIM, Reichenbach and Lauscha. I do not use borosilicate for the time being. On occasion I will use frits (crushed glass) and pixie dust (mica-based sparkle). At the moment, I am not using any metals, but that may change when I am set up for it. My beads are made with a oxygen/propane mix torch called a Minor Burner, and then placed in a kiln to be annealed for lasting durability and long wear. I get most of my glass and supplies from a couple of merchants here in Washington.
Q. How would I go about getting into lampwork beadmaking?
A. My website Coloraddiction has many links to books, forums, suppliers, tutorials and more that can help you get information on lampworking.
Q. How do I....? /What color did you use...? /etc.
A. Unfortunately, I don't have time to give step by step instructions or lists of colors via email or phone to everyone who asks. I wish I did, but the sheer number of requests for information just do not allow that. Please understand that I took classes, did a lot of research and experimented a lot to gather the knowledge I needed to make beads. My suggestion for anyone who emails me these questions is to go online and read the messege boards that beadmakers often frequent, and also do a search for tutorials. If you don't find the answer to your question online, I would recommend trying somethings out on the torch yourself and see if you can figure it out on your own. After all - that's half the fun of making beads!
Q. Do you teach lampworking?
A. At the moment, I am not teaching offline. I do recommend checking out Coloraddiction, Kimberly Affleck or Frantz Art Glass for classes.
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