Making Fused Glass Pattern Bar Pendants & What I Learned

Since I'm making functional art glass (e.g. plates, bowls and platters) using pattern bars, I thought I would see try my hand at using pattern bars as pendants.  I decided to pursue two styles, the bookend pattern bar (where there's a mirror image) and the Roman pattern bar (which has a series of columns).  I also wanted to play around with shapes so that the design could be accentuated.  

For the bookend pattern bar, I decided on a fat triangle or fan shape as I liked seeing a wider portion of the glass to reflect the mirror image.  To help decide on the shape, I have a number of plastic templates like the kind you would use in drawing architecture plans. However, if you didn't have these, you could also cut shapes out of paper.  This gives you an idea of what the pendant will look like once it's cut.  For the Roman pattern bar, I decided on a trapezoid shape. I was a little limited on the width as it's only one bar (whereas the bookend is two).

The next consideration was what type of bail to use.  I had planned on cutting a donut hole on the trapezoid shape but once I received the drill bit, I realized it wouldn't work on my Dremel.  Note: I guess a new drill is on the "to buy" list sometime in the future.  Also, since each of the pendants have transparency built in, I didn't want to use a standard bail.  So, I decided to try using pinch bails.  To use a pinch bail, you need to drill a hole in the glass and then "pinch" the bail closed through the holes.

Lessons learned:

• Buy a lot of drill bits.  One bit can drill one pendant or it can drill several.  On my first round, I went through a pack of 6 in no time and had more left to drill. Next time, I ordered a pack of 25.
• Don't try to stretch the drill bits - as soon as it looks like the diamond coating is worn off, toss it.  Otherwise, you will end up cracking the glass. You'll know the diamond coating is gone when you see the hole is black or the drilled run-off is black or the bit doesn't seem to make a much of an impression.
• Drill from both sides rather than trying to make it through on one.  This gives a cleaner hole and you're less likely to have a larger puncture mark.  To help identify where to drill on the back side if you're drilling through opaque glass, I put a pin in one side and view from the side, so I can determine where to mark on the back side to line up the hole.
• Buy large bails.  Since I knew the glass would be 6mm or so, I needed to get a wide bail.  However, in addition to being wide, having long bails also helps as you need the length plus width to help get the bail closed around thick piece of glass.  I originally purchased a shorter bail for the above pendant but it wouldn't close.  Note: with larger bails, you may need to cut the prong length.
• Use jewelry pliers, if you have them, to close the bails - I have chain nose pliers that helped pinch the bails shut.

It certainly was a learning experience making these but I'm glad that I tried it.  I like the look much better than the standard bails, although one of these days, I still need to try making donut pendants.

What's New: Fused Glass Leather Bracelet

Typically at the beginning of the year before my show schedule starts, I like to experiment with new designs.  In fact, this is my favorite part of making glass (in addition to learning new techniques).  I've been toying around with incorporating fused glass into a leather bracelet since last year and decided now was the time.  However, I didn't really know how I would go about this as I've never worked with leather before.  So, I did a search online and found a leather company, Tandy Leather Factory, in the area and stopped in.

There, I found a kindred spirit, Jim, who also likes to jump into projects.  He was quite helpful and gave me a few ideas of how I could attach the glass to the leather, most of them involving riveting.  So, I left the store with some leather pieces, a rivet set, mallet, and hole punch and went home to figure out how I might design the bracelet with the glass attaching to the leather.

I sketched out a few design options and settled on the method straight away.  I would fused wire onto the sides of a fused glass strip that would be the center of the bracelet and attach the leather through the wire loops.  So, I fused a prototype, cut the strips of leather with a razor blade and practiced my riveting.  Note: the success of the riveting is more of a function of having the right sized rivet more than anything else, although being able to set the rivet straight (i.e. pound straight) does help.  From the prototype, I could see that the design would work, so I fused a number of glass centers and gave them a gentle slump using a bracelet mold.

Last week, I went back to see Jim and we figured out how the rest of the bracelet would come together.  I also needed Jim to give me a lesson on setting snaps. Now, I have a leather strip cutter, snap/rivet setter, leather scissors, an end punch, leather dye, applicator, and everything else I need to make a set of bracelets.

The bracelet was relatively easy to make, especially when you have someone who's willing to help you. I'm very happy with how it turned out and look forward to making more in the near future.  Let me know what you think of it.

What's New: Fused Glass Marquis & Millefiori Earrings

I posted about my new marquis shaped wire wrapped pendants and millefiori pendants.

Well, I decided that it would be nice to have some similar earrings that would coordinate nicely with them. I'm not really a matchy-matchy type person, so the earrings are similar but not exact.  At the same time, I was looking to expand the earring styles I have to include new shaped.  Below are the latest additions to my earring collection:

I like the difference in the two styles and both are post earrings which I find some people look for.  Of course, both are somewhat dangly as that's my preference in earrings.  I would be interested in hearing what you think.

What's New: Fused Glass Stretch Bracelets

I love creating new designs for fused glass and for my jewelry.  I often have a vision for what I want to create although it can take a while before it comes to fruition, especially if I have to create multiple versions.

Below is one of the first of my stretch glass bracelets:

I'm quite happy with how this turned out.  I wanted to create something using transparent glass without any existing jewelry findings.  To make this, I first fused 1" glass bars which contained fiber paper for the holes.  Next, I cut up the bars and tack fused the dichroic design layer to create large glass "beads." Then, I strung the beads together with Swarovski crystal in between so that it bends easier.  The beads also add a nice design element.  I like the chunkiness of how the bracelet turned out.

I've made 4 of these so far and have about 10 more that I'll be stringing in the next day or so.  I'll post again once I've finished.  Let me know what you think.  I don't keep many of my jewelry items for myself but one of these may find its way into my possession :)

What's New: Wire Wrapped Fused Glass Marquis Pendants

Some of you may have seen my wire wrapped dichroic glass hearts, which I've been making for a number of years.

To expand on that idea, I now have wire wrapped marquis shaped pendants.  The process of making them are similar, although I've changed the decorative wire wrapping a little.  The first step is to cut out the marquis shape.  Next, I coldwork the shape to smooth out the edges and grind a channel or grove in the side, which helps the wire stay in place.  The pendant goes back into the kiln to be fire polished.

Once it comes out, I select Swarovski crystal beads that match the colors in the glass and cut square sterling silver wire to use as the wrap.  Here's the first of several that I've made:

I know not everyone is a heart person, so I'm hoping this shape will appeal to those who aren't.  Another new item: sterling silver marquis shaped earrings with fused glass dangles (to come in a later post).  These should go nicely with the pendant.

Another new thing is that I purchased a DSLR camera and macro lens so I can take better pictures of my jewelry.  I've been challenged with getting the colors of the dichroic glass and I'm happy with how these pictures turned out...so look forward to more jewelry posts to come in the future.  Taking photos has been one of the things I least enjoy but with my new camera, I'm beginning to have a little fun.  I'd be interested in your thoughts on the photos and pendant, of course!

Add Some Summer Sizzle: Fused Glass Wire Wrapped Pendant with Gemstones

I've been looking for ways to "step up" my fused glass jewelry, especially because I would like to enter better shows, which typically require that I jury in my jewelry.  So, I've taken a few wire-wrap classes to help me.  I also have a few extra gemstones that I thought would add that extra sparkle -- even through there's enough with the dichroic glass alone.  Here's the first of my wire wrapped pendants.  It includes pearls, pink topaz and pink amethyst.

This was harder to make than I though as the technique works better with beads.  I am planning to make a few more in blues and purples.  I'd be interested in your thoughts.  

Also, I hope to be sharing more jewelry photos in the near future.  I've been challenged with accurately representing all the colors in the dichroic glass but have invested in a DSLR camera and a macro lens, so hopefully, I'll have some good photos to share as I'm working on some new designs.

Making Merry with Fused Glass Holiday Pendants

With the official start of the Christmas season starting on Friday, I thought I would share some the new pendants I made for the holiday season.  The first are variations of my window pendants that include bits of nipped glass or glass chards and holiday fracture/streamer glass.

When I purchased the fracture/streamer glass, I noticed that there were bits that didn't include enough green or red, so I augmented the glass with bits of red and green glass confetti or chards.  The pendants with the fracture streamer are on the right.

The second style of pendants are a variation on my wire wrapped heart pendant, adapted for Christmas of course!

I first make frit balls out of red glass as the ornaments.  Next I tack fuse them to the base glass before I grind a channel to hold the wire and refire them to polish the glass.  Then I wire wrap the pendant and finish by adding a red Swarovski crystal to the bottom and silver star to the top.  The above picture is of my prototype, which didn't include the star as I was still waiting for them to arrive.

While I don't have any holiday sweaters, I do have a green sweater and a red cardigan that I wear during the holidays.  I'm looking forward to adding the pendants for a more festive appearance.

My husband especially likes the Christmas trees.  Let me know what you think.  And, happy holidays!

New for Spring II: Fused Glass Window Pendants

I typically try to make new glass designs about twice a year, once before I begin my show schedule in Spring and the second before the holidays. Here's what I am calling "window" pendants because the solid glass creates a frame of the window that allows you to see the glass design. I have two styles, one where you see a glimpse and the other that reminds me of an open window with a roman shade.

To make these, I first make the patterned glass. This can be made from glass threads, chards, frit and bits.

After it's fused together, I cut it up with my tile saw and grind the edges to smooth them out so that they will fuse nicely in the next step.

And, I add the solid colored glass as the frame. This goes back into the kiln to be fused together.

Once again, I use my tile saw to cut the glass, this time into pendants. Next I grind the edges to make each pendant even. And then, these pendants go back into the kiln to be "fire polished."

Fire polishing gives the pendants a nice sheen as seen in the first photo above. This is my second batch of pendants. Here's a photo of the first batch just before going into the kiln to be fire polished.

I'm happy with how they turned out. In fact, the second batch is to restock some colors after my first show as well as expand into a few new designs. Let me know what you think.

New for Spring: Millefiori Fused Glass Pendants

The first fused glass pieces I purchased were years ago on my vacation to Venice. Of course, the dishes contained millefiori (which means a thousand flowers), something that one might associate with Murano glass. So, when I think of millefiori, I have fond memories of Venice (one of my favorite places) and wanted to capture that in my fused glass.

Millefiori isn't typically used much in glass fusing. First, it has a different COE or coefficient of expansion. This means that it cannot be combined with the typical fusing glasses (90 or 96 COE) as glass with different COEs expand at different rates when heated and is more likely to break. Recently manufacturers have made millefiori that works with the standard fusing glass but the color and design selection is rather limited. So, because I wanted the variety I decided to try making millefiori jewelry all with the glass coming from Italy.

When making the pendants, I decided to fuse the glass as a small panel that I would later cut up with my tile saw. I contained or dammed the panel using 2 sheets of fiber paper so that I would be less likely to lose the edges as the glass spreads out. Placing the millefiori into the panel was a little time consuming as each piece is placed individually.

But, the time and effort were worth it. I was very happy with how panel turned out. Next, I trimmed off the edges and refired. While I meant to fire polish the pendants because of the different COE, the pendants ended up fired more like a full fuse rather than a fire polish. This is because I used the temperature that I normally would without considering that these pendants were made from a different COE. After grinding all the edges, sandblasting and two tests later, I finally got the right temperature. And, here's how they turned out (before I attached the bails).

Lessons Learned:

• When working with a different COE, testing is important unless you want to spend time coldworking the glass. To be honest, while I though the 2 layers of fiber paper would work, I didn't know that it would. I probably should have started with one panel and tested it. And, I should have tested one pendant with the fire polish rather than fire a whole shelf loaded with pendants.
• Colors of the glass can change with firing, especially with the glass rods I used. The back side looks a little different than the front. Fortunately, a clear cap kept the rod colors in tack.
• More consistent, smaller patterns work, especially when the glass is cut up as you don't see as much of the larger, entire pattern. Also, I found that I prefer at least 4 different millefiori patterns to make the design interesting.
• Tiny millefiori expand with each firing, especially when taken to a full fuse.

I'm excited about these new pendants and am in the process of making the next batch in blues and greens keeping the above lessons in mind. Let me know what you think of these.

Testing: Why It's Important for Good Dichroic Jewelry Design

Dichroic glass is often used to make fused glass jewelry because it adds dimensions of depth and sparkle that can change in different lights and when viewed at different angles. This is because each sheet is coated with 30-50 ultra thin layers of different metals (gold, silver), metal oxides (titanium, chromium, aluminum, zirconium, magnesium) and silica. In fact, the coating created is very similar to that of a gemstone.

Dichroic on Clear and Black Glass (Smooth and Textured Bases)

To complicate things a bit, dichroic glass has a transmitted color and a completely different reflected color as certain wavelengths of light either pass through or are reflected. Thus, here's a case where what you see is not always what you get. As dichroic glass is the most expensive type of glass, testing is important since the glass will change after it's fired. The color of the base glass (if clear dichroic is used) and the use of a clear glass cap will also effect the end result. So, typically, test swatches are useful as they allow you to see the final result without wasting much glass. Test swatches also create a library of colors as unfortunately, colors vary by manufacturer and sometimes by batch.

Notice how the unfired glass on the right looks lime green.

As I start being more intentional about making fused glass jewelry from dichroic glass, these swatches will be handy for design. Here's an example of a finished pendant:

What I Learned from Experimenting with Silver Wire Inclusions

I'm working on developing more fused glass jewelry in the form of pendants, pins and earrings. Typically, to make or attach a bail, you would grind a channel on the side for the wire or use glue. However, my idea of tack fusing earrings doesn't allow for a channel because the depth is too narrow (2-3mm). I also want to add a few Swarovski crystals at the bottom and need to attach them to a loop. So, I've decided to putting a silver wire in between the layers. Once fused, I will wire wrap two loops, one on each side to attach the ear wire on the top and crystals on the bottom.

Here's what I learned from using wire:

• 99.9% silver works well as it fires a bright silver and doesn't tarnish from the heat
• The wire will need to be hardened after it's fired regardless of whether you've hardened it before
• Silver wire will fuse to another piece of wire but can be easily unattached
• The wire will discolor the kiln shelf, so it's best to place Thinfire under it. And, while the shelf may "look" fine afterwards, the silver may still discolor the back of any glass later fired on the shelf.
• If you buy thin wire (I purchased 22 gauge), there's no need to flatten it with a hammer as it doesn't create any bumps when fired. However, it does help if you glue the wire in place and top layer to the bottom.
• With a small item, there's no need for a bubble squeeze even with the wire between two layers of glass

Here's how they turned out. I'm happy with them, what do you think?

Spring Trend: Florals and How to Wear The Look

One of this year's trends is florals. When you look around, spring is in the air, flowers are beginning to bloom, so why not join in?

If you're a person who prefers to wear solids, like me, you can still incorporate the floral trend in a variety of ways:

1. Go with larger, looser floral prints - this is not the dainty floral print but something a little bolder and more contemporized. I find that a mix of solids and florals help to tone it down and provide balance - shirts with a mix of solids and prints or a floral top and a solid cardigan.

2. Try the cardigans and tees with floral appliques. These have been around for a while and are still in style this year with increased availability.

3. Use floral accessories to add to your basic wardrobe. This can be in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. My personal favorite are pins because they actually embellish the article of clothing. I have a large collection of floral pins that I purchased from various art shows which I typically wear in the winter as most of them are knit. Given my preference for floral pins, I decided to try to create some out of glass. Here's a few just out of kiln.

These or something similar can easily add color and incorporate the floral look to any jacket, cardigan, top or tee.

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