Frequently Asked Questions - FAQ
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What is Dichroic Glass? How do you make dichroic beads? Where do you sell your work?
Opalescent vs. Transparent? What is Neodymium Glass?
Dichroic glass is made in a vacuum chamber by depositing layers of metallic oxides on the surface of the glass. The dichroic coating itself has no color. The colors are created by light striking the coating on the glass. Each piece of dichroic glass has three colors associated with it: a reflected color, a transmitted color and a third reflective color that can be viewed at a 45-degree angle. The causes the glass to change color as the light hits it from different angles. Due to the complexity in creating this special glass, it is very expensive and somewhat unpredictable to work with.
The glass pendants are made by cutting and shaping several layers of glass including dichroic. The glass is stacked and fired in a kiln until it becomes molten and fuses together, encasing the dichroic glass. Each piece is fired repeatedly at different temperatures, cutting and/or shaping the piece between firings, adding more glass when needed, until the desired affect is achieved. Some beads have been fired as many as 5 times and have up to 10 layers of dichroic glass included in them. An additional firing adds the hole for stringing. All of my work is annealed to prevent internal stress and the possibility of cracking and given a final fire polishing so that all the edges are smooth to the touch. No sharp edges.
The Artisan's Hand in Montpelier, VT
Stowe Craft Gallery in Stowe, VT
Vermont Artisan's Design in Brattleboro, VT
Highland Landscapes Gallery - Gairloch,
Wester-Ross Scotland
Opalescent
vs. Translucent vs. Transparent?
Window glass is transparent, you can see through it. Translucent glass
allows light to pass through it but you cannot see clearly through it. Opalescent
glass does allow light to flow through it but you cannot see through it at all. The
tricky thing with fusing is that you can start with a piece of colored transparent glass
and fuse it with dichroic glass and you end up with a pendant that you can't really see
through but which light can still pass through. Confused? I am not
surprised. Just know that the fusing process with all of its inclusions will end up
with a piece that will allow light to shine through it but that you can't really see
through the same way you see through window glass.
What is
Neodymium Glass?
Neodymium glass is sometimes called the color change glass. It will appear pale
blue or pale pink or pale lavender, depending on the type of light: fluorescent,
incandescent or daylight. Really remarkably beautiful!
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