Mixed message

The way I create my fused glass pieces is sometimes a bit odd.
At times, I fuse a whole lot of pieces to fill up the kiln and then about half of them go into a box and I don’t look at them again until a couple of week or months later, depending how much time I have.
It mixes things up a little bit and a lot of times I totally forget about the pieces in the box and it’s fun to rummage through it and rediscover them.

So, I rediscovered one piece this way and it’s sending me a bit of a mixed message.
It’s a large piece because I intended it to be cold worked so that it has distinct edges and a perfect rectangular form.

I make a lot of pendants because pendants are an easy piece of jewelry to wear and because a lot of my designs have a vertical tendency. Brooches, on the other hand, have a more horizontal tendency in my opinion and somehow that doesn’t come natural to me.
This piece, however, could really be both, a pendant or a brooch and I have trouble deciding.

So, what do you think: vertical pendant like in the first photo or horizontal brooch like in the second photo?
Which one is it?

Hey, you messed up! All these brooches have a hole!

Once again, I have successfully managed to avoid making any pendants this week.
My selection on brooches or pins was getting pretty low and so I concentrated on making a few of them with a bit of a new look. They are almost a combination of brooch and donut pendant since they all have a hole.

My favorite one out of the bunch is the green one. I am very much taken with the combination of a deeper olive and the bright spring green. By itself, the spring green is almost obnoxious but when combined with the more settled colors it adds something fresh and cheery to the whole thing.

Handmade Jewelry Hub

NOTE (Nov 2010):
Unfortunately, the 1000 Markets venue has sold out and any of the related links in this post do not work any longer!

Twitter just introduced a new way of organizing the blizzard of tweets that you may get hit by on their site. You can now create lists of people that have one common denominator in some shape or form. It makes it a lot easier to filter what you may be interested in and avoid some of the stuff you are not.

So, since I am making handmade jewelry, it was merely a matter of time until I started a list about just that. I have accumulated more than 450 artisans that all make handmade jewelry of some kind. You will find glass, steam punk, wire wrapping, silversmithing, PMC and lots more. Come take a peek and get emerged in style, fashion, color, luxury and bling!

If you are creating handmade jewelry, have a twitter account and would like to be included in this list, please leave a comment or send me a direct message on Twitter.

My New Artfire Store

For the past week or so I have been fine tuning and accessorizing my new online store at Artfire.com.
Artfire has come a long way since I looked at it for the first time in the beginning of the year. I don’t mean to insult anybody but back then it had a kind of second-hand look to it. It was visually not very pleasing in my opinion and it was hard to find anybody that wanted to buy rather than sell anything.
I probably should have stuck with Artfire and given it a chance to develop at that time because now, visually and feature wise, I think it might be the most promising out of the three venues (Etsy, 1000 Markets, Artfire) I am a part of.
Well, I will stay with all three, at least for a while. So I guess I will find out whether or not I’m correct.
So, here is a picture of the online store front, but if you have a little time, you should probably check it out in person because there is a whole lot more to see.

Fused Glass Jewelry Video

I just posted my first video on YouTube. It presents a number of my fused glass jewelry pieces but I’m having trouble finding music that really fits and goes with the video. So if you have any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it!

This Week’s Etsy Favorites

I picked a couple more really nice items from Etsy for you to enjoy!

My New 1000 Market Shop

NOTE (Nov 2010):
Unfortunately, the 1000 Markets venue has sold out and any of the related links in this post do not work any longer!

I am so excited because I just got approved for a shop on the 1000 Market venue!

OK, very sorry but I’m going to have to let out some kind of happy sound. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!

The site looks great and is very well organized.

I’m going to move all my cold worked jewelry, like the brooch on the left, over there and leave the rest on Etsy.

Please come and visit me at 1000 Markets!

A whole lot of fused glass, Part 3

In part 3 I would like to talk about the actual process and all the steps that are involved in making fused glass jewelry.

I start out with sheets of art glass in different colors and transparencies. Depending on the design I have in mind, I cut the glass, arrange it together and stack it to at least 3 layers high. If my design calls for any metal inclusions, they will be shaped and hammered and then wedged in between the layers of glass.

Now comes the first firing. The piece goes into the kiln at a temperature between 1460 and 1500 °F. It takes many hours until the glass pieces can be removed at room temperature because the slow and controlled cooling of glass throughout certain temperature ranges (called annealing) cannot be hastened. If cooled too rapidly, especially at around the 960 °F mark, the glass could become more brittle and possibly crack.

After the initial firing, I inspect the overall shape of the piece. I usually fine tune it by grinding to correct the shape. I use either my grinder or the lapidary wheel. Grinding will turn the glass  “cloudy” and the edges squared and that can be corrected by re-firing the piece. So, off it goes into the kiln again. This time the temperature does not have to be as high since I am only trying to round the now squared edges and turn the glass back to clear, but all the rules for annealing apply with every firing.

After cooling, I drill the hole that will accommodate the sterling silver wire so the piece can be hung from a chain. Drilling leaves the edges of the hole rough and cloudy again. So, into the kiln for a third firing. This last firing is done at the lowest temperature of around 1250 °F because the hole I drilled is very small and I don’t want it to close back up.

Once the piece is cooled to room temperature, I attach a sterling silver bail by means of sterling silver wire. One last thorough cleaning and taadaaaa!

So what do you think?

Please voice your opinion with a comment or drop me line. I am very interested in what you have to say!

A whole lot of fused glass, Part 1

Wow, my first post!

Let me start by introducing my original line of abstract, contemporary fused glass jewelry.

"Orange Ember" Fused Glass Brooch

I start out with Bullseye art glass.

My main focus is the colors. I spend probably too much time just holding different color combinations together until one appeals to me.

Secondly, I create areas of both transparency and opacity in one piece of glass. It adds another point of interest and gives much more of a three-dimensional effect.

"Emerald City" Fused Glass Earrings with Sterling Silver Hook

Then, a simple loop of fine silver (99.9% pure silver) is hammered and added to the design. It creates a focal point and a direction to the piece and, especially on the darker glass, provides a fantastic splash of contrast.

"Blue Lagoon" Fused Glass Pendant with Sterling Silver

The outcome is a straightforward, modern and bold look that goes great with sleek, eligant dresses or , like in my case, with jeans and sweat/teashirts. Personally, I like to wear the pendants on a very short chain or black cord. But to highlight certain female features, a longer chain might be in order.