My worktop is quite small, but it's all I need... for now!

As pretty as glass is to wear, it's imperative that the glass is also safe to wear - and that is where the annealing kiln comes in!

For those who are interested, I'll give a brief explanation to why this is done, and why it's SO important you are aware that you should not purchase glass beads which have not been annealed. 

Explanation:

Annealing glass is a slow process where hot glass beads are cooled down from a specific high temperature down to room temperature (which is what the kiln is designed to do) . This process takes time because hot glass can gather internal stress if cooled down too fast (especially when the bead is left to cool without a kiln - that's a ticking time-bomb!)

Annealing is vital to the beads durability. This means, the bead is safe from cracking or shattering when subjected to temperature or shock/stress (like being dropped).

My beads have all been annealed and are safe for wear. 

Glass annealing is (in my opinion) as important to flameworking as the bead-making is itself.