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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Bead Maker

💰 $ - $

🎯 Role Definition

A Bead Maker (artisan or production operator) designs, fabricates, inspects, and finishes beads and small decorative components for jewelry, accessories, and industrial applications. This role requires mastery of bead-forming techniques (lampwork/glassworking, metal stamping, molding), strict quality control, adherence to production quotas, and collaboration with design and production teams to deliver consistent, on-spec parts. Ideal candidates combine manual dexterity, process discipline, color and finish sensibility, and a continuous improvement mindset.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Jewelry assembler or bench jeweler assistant
  • Glassblower or lampwork apprentice
  • Production machine operator (in small parts or jewelry manufacturing)

Advancement To:

  • Lead Bead Maker / Senior Artisan
  • Production Supervisor / Floor Manager
  • Product Development Specialist (colorways, new shapes)
  • Quality Control / Compliance Manager
  • Brand Designer or Owner (artisan studio lead)

Lateral Moves:

  • Glassblower / Lampworker
  • Mold Maker or Tooling Technician
  • Jewelry Designer / Bench Jeweler

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Operate bead production equipment (lampwork torches, furnaces, annealing kilns, extruders, bead presses, and automated bead making machines) to form, shape, and finish glass, metal, or polymer beads while consistently meeting daily production targets and cycle times.
  • Melt, feed, and manipulate glass or metal materials using precise temperature control and torch techniques to create a wide range of bead sizes, patterns, and surface treatments per engineering drawings or design sketches.
  • Perform lampworking tasks such as winding, shaping, layering, and surface decoration (dotting, stringers, millefiori) with controlled torch/flame behavior to achieve repeatable aesthetics and structural integrity.
  • Anneal finished glass beads in kilns on prescribed schedules and profiles to relieve stress, prevent cracking, and ensure long-term durability according to established heat-treatment protocols.
  • Set up, adjust, and maintain bead molds, dies, and tooling for resin, metal, and pressed glass production, including alignment checks, release-agent application, and minor tooling repairs.
  • Mix and prepare raw materials, frits, metallic foils, powders, and colorants to manufacturer or in-house recipes, documenting batch numbers and material lot information for traceability and color consistency.
  • Inspect each batch of beads against dimensional tolerances, hole alignment, finish quality, strength, and color match using calipers, gauges, microscopes, and visual standards to reject or rework nonconforming parts.
  • Implement and document quality control checks at first-piece, in-process, and final inspection stages, maintain accurate production logs, and report defects and corrective actions to production leads.
  • Polish, tumble, buff, or electroplate beads as required to achieve specified surface finishes, luster, and plating thickness while ensuring even coverage and adhesion.
  • Drill and ream bead holes for specialized applications using micro-drills and CNC drilling equipment; deburr and clean holes to ensure smooth stringing and assembly.
  • Package finished beads to specification (count, weight, labeling, anti-tarnish packaging), prepare shipping documentation, and coordinate with inventory/shipping teams to maintain SKU integrity and order accuracy.
  • Interpret technical drawings, colorway cards, and sample prototypes to reproduce batches precisely and recommend practical adjustments to tooling or process to meet designer intent.
  • Adjust kiln schedules, torch gas and oxygen ratios, and machine settings to compensate for environmental conditions, material variability, or design changes while documenting parameter changes for reproducibility.
  • Troubleshoot production issues such as bubble formation, warpage, cracking, plating failures, or inconsistent hole size; implement root-cause containment and propose process improvements.
  • Maintain production area cleanliness, proper storage of fragile components, and inventory levels for beads, raw glass rods, metal sheets, and consumables; place purchase requests to avoid stockouts.
  • Train and mentor junior bead makers and apprentices on safe torch operation, bead assembly techniques, quality expectations, and standard operating procedures to build team capability and maintain consistent output.
  • Follow all safety, ventilation, and personal protective equipment (PPE) protocols when working with high temperatures, chemicals, polishing compounds, and metal plating solutions to prevent injuries and environmental hazards.
  • Collaborate with designers, product developers, and sales to prototype new bead shapes, finishes, and colorways; provide manufacturability feedback and time/cost estimates for sample runs.
  • Maintain and perform routine preventive maintenance on kilns, torches, ovens, presses, polishers, and small tooling (cleaning burners, replacing tips, calibrating controls) to maximize uptime and extend equipment life.
  • Record production metrics (units per hour, scrap rate, rework rate, downtime) and participate in continuous improvement efforts (5S, Kaizen) to reduce waste, lower cycle time, and increase first-pass yield.
  • Apply surface treatments such as acid etching, enameling, patination, or coating applications consistently and verify cure times and adhesion per material safety data sheets (MSDS) and product specifications.
  • Prepare prototype batches and small production runs for seasonal collections while ensuring scalability and repeatability for larger orders.
  • Maintain a sample library and digital records of bead color codes, batch photos, and formulas for quick reference and to accelerate new-order matching and custom color replication.

Secondary Functions

  • Support custom and bespoke orders by coordinating with account managers to interpret client specifications, estimate production lead times, and prioritize rush jobs.
  • Participate in design-review sessions to advise on manufacturability, tooling costs, and potential lead-time constraints for new bead designs.
  • Maintain a color and texture sample library and update internal digital assets to support marketing, e-commerce, and sales teams in product listings and SKU descriptions.
  • Liaise with raw material suppliers to qualify new glass rods, metal alloys, and coatings, including testing incoming samples and documenting performance results.
  • Assist with R&D initiatives to evaluate new materials, coatings, or low-waste manufacturing techniques and track pilot-run results for scale-up decisions.
  • Produce technical work instructions, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and training materials for complex bead operations to ensure knowledge retention across shifts.
  • Participate in periodic inventory counts, reconciliation of raw materials and finished goods, and implementation of barcoding or labeling improvements to reduce fulfillment errors.
  • Collect and analyze production data to generate weekly performance reports (output, scrap, downtime) and propose data-driven process improvements.
  • Represent the production team at cross-functional meetings (quality, packaging, logistics) to ensure bead designs meet packing and shipping constraints and shelf-life requirements.
  • Support retail and craft event preparation by producing sample kits, training demonstrators, and ensuring availability of display-ready bead assortments.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Lampworking and torch-based glass bead forming (rod winding, surface decoration, and controlled flame manipulation)
  • Kiln and annealing cycle programming and operation for glass stress relief and thermal processing
  • Furnace operation, temperature profiling, and melt management for pressed or cast beads
  • Mold and die setup, maintenance, and small-tooling repair for resin, metal, and pressed glass production
  • Precision measurement and inspection techniques using calipers, gauges, microscopes, and optical comparators
  • Color matching and pigment mixing for repeatable colorways and special effects (metallics, iridescent coatings)
  • Bead drilling and micro-machining, plus hole finishing and deburring techniques
  • Surface finishing: tumbling, polishing, buffing, electroplating, enameling, and coating applications
  • Machine operation for automated bead makers, extruders, polishers, and small CNC equipment
  • Basic metallurgy or glass chemistry knowledge to select proper alloys, fluxes, and annealing profiles
  • Reading and interpreting technical drawings, BOMs, and sample specifications
  • Inventory management basics and SKU labeling best practices
  • Familiarity with health & safety standards (MSDS, PPE, ventilation requirements) and compliant handling of chemicals

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional attention to detail and visual acuity for color and surface defect detection
  • Fine manual dexterity and steady hand coordination for small-part manipulation and torch work
  • Strong time-management skills to meet quotas while maintaining quality
  • Effective communication and collaboration with designers, quality, and production teams
  • Problem-solving mindset with ability to perform root-cause analysis and corrective actions
  • Adaptability to shift cycles, production schedule changes, and evolving product designs
  • Patience and perseverance for repetitive tasks while consistently achieving high precision
  • Instructional ability to train apprentices and document processes clearly
  • Creativity and aesthetic sensibility to contribute to new bead styles and product differentiation
  • Reliability and accountability with a focus on safety and process adherence

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; demonstrated hands-on experience in bead making, glassworking, or small-parts manufacturing is acceptable.

Preferred Education:

  • Vocational certification or formal training in glassblowing, lampworking, jewelry making, metalsmithing, or a related manufacturing program.
  • Short courses or certifications in kiln operation, kiln safety, or industrial torch operation helpful.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Glassmaking / Lampworking
  • Jewelry Design / Metalsmithing
  • Materials Science or Ceramics
  • Manufacturing Technology / Tooling
  • Art & Design (specializing in small-form fabrication)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–5 years of bead making, glassworking, jewelry component production, or relevant small-parts manufacturing experience.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years of professional bead production experience with demonstrated ability to run multiple bead types (glass, metal, resin), manage annealing profiles, and meet documented quality metrics; experience training junior staff and contributing to process improvements preferred.
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