Much about the origins of glass still remains a mystery, it is a complicated and vastly discussed subject; some of the oldest pieces found can be dated back to 2500 B.C.
It is believed the development of glass spawned from pottery workers creating small glazed ceramic objects such as beads. The ceramic they used was made by combing silica and an alkali in a high-heat process, metals were also refined using high temperatures. It was this combined knowledge of materials and pyrotechnics that prompted the development of glass.
Early glass workers are likely to have combined raw materials on a small scale to create the glass they needed however the glass industry went on to separate into two branches; that of glass making and glass working.
Lampworking is a glass working technique thought to have been promoted by developments in chemical science. A need for clear durable vessels lead to the invention of a clear soda glass, however the glass-blowing techniques used at the time were not suitable for making small objects.
It was discovered that by forcing a stream of air into a flame from an oil lamp, sufficient heat could be created to work with small pieces of glass.
These fettled oil lamps would have looked very different form the torches used by lamp workers now but ultimately the spread of those first techniques in Europe in the 15th Century was the birth of lampworking and lead to its popularity across the world. Modern lampworking torches burn propane and oxygen gas.
Glass rods are heated in the torch flame and when the glass becomes molten it can be transformed into the desired shape or design.
The text above is just a short summary of the origins of glass and Lamp working; for further information please refer to the reference information links below
