There are many different types of glass that lampworkers use to make beads - but the main categories for this guide is “soft glass” and “hard glass”, called boro, pyrex or borosilicate glass. Soft glass has many different names - some being Moretti, Lauscha and Bullseye. Soft glass has a lower melting temperature than boro glass and it’s strength, while excellent, when purchased from an artist that anneals his or her beads, is less than borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glasses are named NorthStar, Glass Alchemy and a new beautiful glass called Momaka’s.

The cost of soft glass rods for the artist is substantually less than borosilicate rods - while the average cost of a pound of soft glass is about $16.00, borosilicate glass averages $45.00 a pound. Both soft glass and hard glass are beautiful in their own right, offering properties that are unique to both. The true test of which you would like to use in your designs is the wear and tear an item may receive and the beauty the artist creates using either glass.