World Directory of the Handmade Trade

15 Craft Families · 57 Producing Countries · 24 Craft Cities · Free Directory 2026

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Craft family

Glass Craft & Beadmaking

Blown, lampworked, fused, etched and stained glass reach markets as tableware, lighting, beads and architectural panels. Recycled glass has become a category of its own, with its own colour limits and bubble characteristics that buyers should specify rather than discover. This section covers the world's glassmaking centres, the bead traditions that supply the jewellery trade, and the annealing, thermal shock and food-contact questions that separate a decorative glass object from one that can be sold for daily use.

Explore this craft worldwide

Product range and what is availableExplore →
Best known products by countryExplore →
Design traditions and patternsExplore →
How to judge quality in the finished pieceExplore →
Telling handmade from machine-madeExplore →
Sizes, forms and typical dimensionsExplore →
Colours, finishes and surface optionsExplore →
Price levels in the marketExplore →
Care, cleaning and durabilityExplore →
Uses, styling and where the product fitsExplore →
Buying, minimum orders and lead timeExplore →
What buyers should check before orderingExplore →
Geographical indications and craft marksExplore →
Market demand and current trendsExplore →

Fix these before asking for a quotation

  • The technique, named exactly — the process, not the look.
  • The input specification: material, grade and source.
  • An agreed variation tolerance for size, colour and weight.
  • The finish system, including who applies it.
  • The compliance regime of your selling market, identified before sampling.

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