Kiln for Glass Bead Making?

Here's another question from a reader concerning the need for a kiln in order to make lampwork beads:

I have been designing jewelry for a few years and I want desperately to learn all aspects of glasswork. I cannot afford a kiln at present and am wondering if it is possible to make glass beads without one? I was hoping to use either a fiber blanket or a vermiculite filled crockpot to anneal the beads.

I've researched this, and everywhere I looked said that a kiln is a must to anneal beads, but what did people do 500 years ago?!

Since I wasn't around 500 years ago, I don't know for certain how they made glass beads back then. I did find some interesting links about glass history though:

"A Brief History of Glass" and "Glass Facts."

Now in answer to her other question about needing a kiln. The answer is "yes" and "no."

If you want to make lampwork beads that will last (almost) forever, then yes, you need a kiln because glass needs to be annealed after firing. If you want to pracitice making lampwork beads and want your beads to stick around for awhile but not necessarily forever, then no, you don't need a kiln for that.

I have made probably a few dozen beads and allowed them to cool in a fiber blanket, and they are still around today. They are kind of ugly, and if I dropped one on a ceramic floor it would probably shatter into a million pieces, but right now, they still exist.

For more information about annealing, read "Annealing Metal, Beads, and Glass Jewelry."