Jewelry Glass

Are glass beads now fashionable in the world of jewelry?
Fashion is constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends in the world of clothing and accessories. At least twice a year, the major fashion designers bring out new collections, and this gradually filters down to what is available to purchase in the stores. The same is true in the world of jewelry.

 

One of the biggest trends in recent years has been the move towards sustainability and trying not to use more natural resources than is truly necessary. A more eco-conscious consumer is considering carefully each purchase and the old adage of "Buy once and buy well" has come back into fashion. Consumers are prepared to spend a little more on a classic, timeless piece of jewelry that will stand the test of time, rather than spend just a few dollars on a necklace or bracelet which will be out of fashion in a few months and be thrown away. Many jewelry designers have picked up on this trend and are offering more affordable pieces made from all sorts of metals and gemstones to suit all budgets.

How To Make Stained Glass

The basic tools to begin stained glass include a cutter, grinder, groziers, running pliers,
copper foil and soldering iron with temperature controller.
There are basically 10 steps to making stained glass
Step 1: Pick a project
This can be a panel, box, cabinet insert, sun catcher, fireplace screen or anything else you
would like.

Stained Glass Suncatchers

f you are new to creating stained glass as a hobby or DIY project for your home, start simple. A sun catcher can be as small as a butterfly or as large as an entire window. Suncatchers hang in front of light even when they are the size of a window. A large suncatcher hangs in front of a window rather than begin built into a window.

Using stained glass paint, kids can easily create a suncatcher. The steps are simple and FAST. Buy the liquid stained glass paint at any craft store. Buy colors you like and also by the liquid lead. You will need a clear piece of glass to paint.
A stained glass suncatcher can be any size. For a first time project start with a size 6"x4" piece of glass. You will also need graphite paper.

Leaded Glass Windows

If you're struggling with windows in your home that look bad, perform poorly (maybe they don't open well or aren't very energy efficient) and don't offer the level of privacy you desire then a decorative glass window may be the choice for you. In this article you'll learn 5 steps to choose an architectural art glass window which will add style and function to your room.

The biggest reason to purchase a replacement window is usually to get rid of the pain associated with the current window. 4 common problems to eliminate include:

Decorative Glass

If you're considering remodeling, or looking at the interior designs of a new home, you'll certainly be looking at painting the walls different colors and adding different types of carpeting, tile, or wood floors. However, have you ever considered what you might want for the doors? Sure, there are the classic light, white wooden doors, or the very heavy carved medieval-looking wood doors; however, heavily carved old-fashioned doors tend to be stained in darker colors, and create a rather gloomy atmosphere in your home. For a more modern, contemporary design, you might want to consider decorative glass doors instead.

Why use decorative glass doors? Well, there are plenty of reasons for that! One major advantage that a decorative glass door has over a dark, old, medieval wooden door is the ability to allow light from room to room. The transfer of so much daylight throughout the house will create an overall lighter atmosphere, allowing more daylight into your home and creating a warmer effect. Recently, studies have shown that exposure to plenty of daylight inside the home is good for your health because it wards off depression and also increases your productivity.

Colored Glass

The colored glass pendant lightings come in a large variety of shapes and size including rectangular, square, triangular and round. The contemporary lighting designers even experiments with a wide spectrum of shapes in order to create exclusive and appealing light fixtures. You can also find some pendant lights that have abstract shapes and designs that can revise the atmosphere of your room and create a mesmerizing effect. However, the most common type of colored glass pendant lightings are dome shaped and cone shaped. The dome shaped pendant lightings are either shallow spreading ample amount of light or narrow in order to release more direct ray. These types of colored glass pendant lightening are usually crafted with materials that are capable of holding a dome shape. The cone shaped pendant lightings are more directional lighting source that allows only a little amount light to escape.

Colored glass pendant lightings are available in diverse quality levels. Some of them being real piece of art cost thousands of dollars while others have little esthetic appeal and are used more for practical purposes. Thereby the quality range of the light produced from these glass pendant lightings also varies.

Stain Glass

The art of making stained glass has an interesting history. Its inception can be traced back to the ancient Romans and Egyptians. In the beginning, its use was limited only to jewelry. Later, with development in the technology of making glass, it has now found its much popular use as church windows.
Since less people were literate in those times, biblical events found transcendental representation in the form of stained glass windows. Not much later, rich and the elite started getting it incorporated in their windows as a sign of their influence. Though, the earliest traces of these can be dated to the ninth century but written evidence about this art is found not as late as the twelfth century. Theophilus, a monk, in his work "On Diverse Arts" describes in detail the art of making this form of glass. Keeping in account the chapters he has dedicated to describe the overall process of making and using it, the popularity of this art can be ascertained.

 

During the last 1000 years of its development as an independent genre of art, making and the use of this form of glass art has witnessed a sea of changes. Earlier, mix of some colours and chemicals were used to stain the glass. However, in the present scenario, use of bronze and wood is also mixed with the art of making such crafted windows. Then, it was not only the technology that changed, even the subject matter of this art witnessed a major change. After the Protestant revolution in England and other parts of Europe, the subject matter started shifting away from religious inspirations and biblical contexts.

Stained Glass Kits

Now that you have decided to get into working with stained glass, are you wondering how many materials you need to stockpile to do projects? Are you also afraid you don't have enough storage room for these supplies? One solution to this is for you to buy individual stained glass kits for your projects. This way you are only buying what you need to do a project instead of stockpiling glass and other materials. Yes there might be a bit of a downside because you won't be making your own design, but it will allow you time to figure out you space problem. You will also see what kind of materials you need, and it will give a better idea of how many supplies you need to order.

There are many different kits that you can buy. They come in a variety of themes and sizes. These kits also have a vast array of color combinations that go beautifully together. You can actually learn a lot by using these kits in the beginning stages of teaching yourself this craft. Lets look at some of these kits to see which one you may like to do.
Lets start with the six-inch stained glass kits that can be anything from flowers or butterflies to a representation of the American flag. There is even a kit that has a koi fish on it. What a great thing to even hang in your garden area. These kits have wonderful blue, red, green, white, and even pink in them. Sometimes there is even touches of black. Oh there is a shamrock on one of them. Perfect for Saint Patrick's Day.

Fusing Glass Supplies

Pieces of glass are joined together by the process of glass fusing. Glass is partly melted in high temperatures and then joined to another piece. An electric kiln is used to heat and melt the glass pieces and then with the help of a lead solder joined together. Glass fusing supplies can be very expensive if you do not know the right place to look for.
Glass fusing technique used
Usually thin layers of glass are layered one on top of the other and colours may be used to create different patterns. This is known as stacking. This stack is then placed inside an electric kiln and heated. Finally, the pieces join and the temperature is then brought down quickly to avoid devitrification. The bonded pieces are then allowed to cool down over time and while being soaked at precise temperatures that is very important for the annealing process. This is done so that there is no uneven cooling and no breakage occurs in the product.

 

Glass fusing supplies can be expensive if you have not compared prices from a few stores. If you cannot locate a store near you, then you could look for one online. You may compare the prices from different glass fusing suppliers. If you are a beginner, you may begin by purchasing only the necessary items. For beginners here is a list of things you may need:
Breaking pliers: These pliers are used ion order to cut the glass into a number of pieces - as many as you may want. These pliers are very useful when you have a small area that needs to be chipped. The narrow and curved lower jaws of glass fusing supplies can access the tight spots and offer enough leverage so that you can get a clean break.

Glass Panels

Solar panel glass is extremely important for anyone who is looking to build their own solar panels or if you're looking to repair broken ones. There are two different types of glass that you can use and each one has its pros and cons. The two different types of glass that you can use is tempered and regular plate glass.
Tempered glass has several advantages when used in solar panels. Mainly, since tempered glass is quite a bit stronger than regular plate glass that means the panel can stand up to a serious beating. I've seen tempered glass panels fall or roofs and not break... you wouldn't be able to do that with regular plate glass.

The other reason that tempered glass is generally used is the fact that it doesn't suffer from what's known as clouding. You see, over time plate glass gets cloudy and this will reduce the amount of power that the panel produces. Although I've never done a test to see what the difference is in power generation I don't think the added cost is worth it for a DIY panel or a panel you're trying to repair.
Plate glass on the other hand is probably the best bet for a DIY panel or a panel you're trying to repair. It's cheap and sometimes you can get it for free. To be honest I've never paid a cent for any of the panels that we've built and I'll share my little secret with you here.