MZ Glass: lampwork beads by Margaret Zinser

This most excellent package of tutorial includes 66 pages full of hundreds of photographs and diagrams designed to thrill and entice you into the wonderful world of enamels! We focus on color fades, texture effects, coverage, application and all the special needs of enamels in addition to some bead basics like shaping, and bonuses like stringer work, among others!

The package includes the following tutorials:

-Enamel properties and safety (6 pages of what you NEED to know, 597 KB)
-MZ’s rolled spacers (8 pages of rolled spacer considerations and options, 14 steps with 22 photos, 2.37 MB)
-JC’s sifted spacers (8 pages of construction notes, 8 steps with 13 photographs, 3.24 MB)
-MZ’s aventurine enamel bead (12 pages of fabulous effects, 28 steps with 32 photos, 3.07 MB)
-JC’s faded draft bead (13 pages of sifted fade fun, 28 steps with 37 photos, 5.98 MB)
-MZ’s flower pick up (12 pages of exploration featuring the Powder Vibe tool, 24 steps with 29 photos, 8 photos 13.03 MB)
-JC’s speckled data bead (12 pages of sifting and stringer work, 23 steps with 27 photos, 4.87 MB)

But that’s not all!!! Each tutorial includes:

-Candid, clever, informational, and insightful introductions to each bead. You’ll definitely be stoked to get working on the beads after reading these sections!
-Detailed step by step instructions focusing on efficiency, skill building, base formation, heat control, stringer work, and OF COUSE so many of the ways MZ & JC love to use enamel.
-Photo index note pages for each tutorial. These are designed to be easy to use while at the torch, and with plenty of space for your own notes.
-A “Choose You Own Adventure” section with variations and ideas to help you keep your adventure going strong.
-And a heavy dose of JC and MZ at every turn… (Watch out for fun and entertainment!)


JC and I are super excited to share our enamel adventure with you. We met and became friends at the Kansas City ISGB Gathering. And it hasn’t been the same for either of us since (thank goodness!) We found our love for enamel is the same, yet oh so different. I love the cool effects and the opportunities to create texture and muted colors using enamels. And JC can’t get enough of those bright colors and fades. In these tutorials you’ll have an intimate look at why and how we do what we do, proving yet again there are infinite ways to work with the same medium.

In these tutorials we use Effetre glass and Thompson’s 9000 series of enamels, however you could use any COE soft glass and Thompson’s compatible line of enamels (check out ThompsonEnamel.com to see their complete and impressive product line). We also use standard shaping tools such as graphite marvers, knives, razors, and picks, as well as the Powder Vibe tool from Bearfoot Arts for a really cool floral pick up. (While that tutorial can still be completed without the PowderVibe, it’s a super fun addition to any tool collection.) JC also uses the JC sifter available from Arrow Springs, but with a little bit of caution to prevent melting, those little red plastic sifters can be used, too.

The tutorials are delivered in PDF format, so they’re super easy to save to your computer and view. Once payment is received you’ll get an email to confirm your purchase, and shortly after, another series of emails containing the tutorials. 

JC Herrell and I (Margaret Zinser) own the intellectual rights and copyrights to the content of these tutorials. It is not OK to share or copy and distribute these files. Once purchased by you, they are for your personal use only. Any other use is BAD.  JC and I worked really hard to make these tutorials the very best that we can. Thank you for supporting our hard work.

To order your bundle of Excellent Enamel Tutorials, either send $37 via PayPal to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or email me for an invoice.  Many thanks!