Oh boy, don't even get me started...
Too late, you already did. The "thermal shock test", which is:
Bouncing beads off the concrete floor after putting them in boiling water, and then dropping them into icy water. Oh yeah, the other thing, the radiation test.
As far as the Devardi annealer goes, there is no reason why it wouldn't work to anneal a few beads as long as the temperature can be properly monitored. I assume you would have to babysit it. Very closely. You will have much less to worry about when you get your Glasshive kiln.