Updated May 9, 2023
Beginner Course Schedule
Summer and Autumn 2023
In a 4-hour Beginner Course, including a 15 minute break, you will learn the basics of making glass beads. This course costs 90€ per person (including material and 19% VAT). No hidden costs.
After the course you will have the necessary skills to produce glass beads independently. You will be welcome to rent our workstations to continue creating glass beads and developing your skills and personal style!
After the course has finished, the beads shall need at least 2 hours to cool down slowly. Therefore, you can pick up your beads on any following work day, or we can send you your beads via post.
We recommend that you wear clothes made out of cotton.
We use two-gas-burners in the course. That means that the flame is nice and quiet as well as very hot and clean.
Maximum number of course participants is limited to 8 persons. The minimum age requirement for the course is 12 years old.
To register for the course please write us an email.
info@berlinbeads.de
The courses are in German. My mother tongue is English, but I cannot translate during the entire course. I can translate a bit, but not everything.
Course Dates
May 13, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
June 17, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
June 24, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
July 8, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
August 26, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
September 2, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
September 23, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
September 30, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
October 7, 2023 (Saturday)
10am to 2pm
Would you like to plan a private glass bead making party? We will be happy to work with you to meet your needs. Simply write us an email.
How do I continue after the course?
To apply your newfound skills of glass bead making you don't have to buy your own bead making equipment. (Which we are also happy to show you if that's what your are interested in). At our store you can rent a work space on one of our two-gas-burner to make your own beads. Please look under "Studio Time" for further information. Or you can register for one of our intermediate or guest courses to learn about exciting techniques! Please look under "Intermediate Courses" and "Guest Courses" for further information.
Further information about glass bead making:
Not only is glass bead making a traditional and beautiful art, it also makes an excellent hobby! More and more people are discovering the endless world of glass bead making for themselves. On a rainy day, working the glass in the flame in our cosy workshop creates a very special feeling! We're located in Schöneberg Berlin and although the store is usually a bit messy, it's always welcoming and comfortable. Glass beads also make great personalized gifts!
How is a glass bead made?
(Please note that not all of the following techniques are taught in the beginner course!)
First, the end of a glass rod shall be melted in the flame (we have more than 300 different colors to choose from!). In the next step, the hot glass is wound around a steel mandrel. This blob of glass is further heated so that it is formed into a basic spherical shape. From there it is left up to the artist to decide what happens to the bead. You can stop here and work that basic color bead to perfection or dive head first into the world of infinite possibilities and decorate your beads with dots, flowers, figures, different shapes, sizes, extra colors or anything else you can think of. The only limit is your imagination! When your bead is ready it is put into a pot of vermiculite in order for it to cool slowly. This reduces the stresses in the glass, thus preventing it from cracking. After the bead is totally cooled (about 1.5 hours), we can take if off of the mandrel and clean out the bead release. And that´s it! Hand-made glass art in the palm of your hand! In our store you will find all kinds of jewelry accessories with which you can transform your beads into a unique piece of jewelry! We are happy to assist you with that!
We work with two-gas-burners (e.g. Nortel Minor, GTT Bobcat and Cricket, and Bethlehem Alpha). These burners are supplied with both propane and oxygen. This is in contrast to the one-gas-burners that are supplied only with propane). Two-gas-burners have 3 major advantages: the burner is very quiet, the flame is very hot, and very clean (which is very important for the brilliance of the colors).
