Facts and Fancies: Dichroic Glass

2009-06-19T16:00:00-05:00

Who doesn't like sparkly, iridescent glass? Dichroic glass is a substance that elicits "oohs and ahhs" with its visual effects. In this installment of the Facts and Fancies series Dee Tilotta of willowglass

gives us an inside view into how this very special glass is made.

Fusing glass — in other words, getting it so hot it melts together — is an art form with a long tradition. In my studio, I use art glass specifically designed for kiln fusing. Many of the "special effects" are created through the use of dichroic glass. It's visually beautiful, mesmerizing, and depending upon the angle you look at it, you see a different color.

But what on Earth is it?

Dichroic glass is the result of placing a multi-layered coating on glass using a highly technical vacuum deposition process. Quartz crystal and metal oxides are vaporized (zap!) with an electron beam gun in an airless vacuum chamber. The substance then floats upward and first attaches and then settles on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. The glass has many layers of these materials, yet the thickness of the total coating is very, very thin. The coating that is created is very similar to some gemstones, and careful control of the thickness creates different colors.

At right, you can see me cutting the raw form of the glass before firing it in the kiln.

While originally created for the aerospace industry, dichroic glass is available to the artist community through several specialty manufacturers. Dichroic glass is specifically designed to be hotworked, but it is just as beautiful in its original form.

The main characteristic of dichroic glass is that it has a transmitted color and a completely different reflective color (di=two, chroic = colors, dichroic = two colors!). Light passing through dichroic glass transmits one color, while light bouncing off dichroic reflects another color. And to make it even more amazing, these two colors shift depending upon the angle they're viewed at.

Here's the fused glass after firing:

One special way to work with dichroic glass is by etching a design onto it before firing. A special acid is used to burn away part of the colored dichroic glass (leaving it as a black base). When it's capped with a thin layer of clear art glass, the design really pops!

Here's another kiln before and after shot by CombustionGlassworks.

When you combine the play of light with the vibrant colors of dichroic glass, the visual beauty will delight you. Pictured below are an assortment of dichroic items. I'm sure you'll agree that all ways are beautiful!

Stay tuned for more Glass posts in this series. Etsy has so much to offer shoppers — it's like a whole universe! In this Facts and Fancies series, we'll take you on a tour through Etsy's Categories. As we visit these "planets" one by one, we'll talk to sellers and experts and find some of extraordinary items on Etsy. (We'll also get some great insider tips along the way.) While you're at it, you might want to watch this Process video with zulasurfing...

Further Resources:

http://warmglass.com

http://cbs-dichroic.com

http://artisandichroic.com

Learn about more of Etsy's Categories with our Facts and Fancies Reviews.

Visit the Glass Category and View Sponsored Glass Items.

Check out more posts in our Facts and Fancies series, where we take you on a tour through Etsy's Categories. As we visit these "planets" one by one, we'll talk to sellers and experts and find some of extraordinary items on Etsy. (We'll also get some great insider tips along the way.)

Give a shout out in the comments if you're mesmerized by dichroic glass!

Process: Fused Dichroic Glass Rings by zulasurfing

2008-10-17T14:06:00-05:00

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This month, to continue the Storque's jewelry theme, we bring you this video featuring Gil, a former owner of a demolition company who now grinds and fuses glass. zulasurfing is comprised of husband and wife duo, Gil and Irena, based in New York. Gil is originally from Israel and Irena was born in Russia. They fashion a variety of brilliant jewelry pieces in their small, but well equipped studio in the Bronx. We focused in on the difficult and time intensive process of making a dichroic glass ring; zulasurfing's results are absolutely stunning.

Dichroic glass is manufactured by vaporizing various layers of metal oxides in a vacuum using an electron beam. The vapor then crystallizes on the surface in a way that translates different wavelengths of light, producing a colorful sparkle. Gil uses this type of glass to his advantage by fusing it in layers with other pieces of colored glass and clear glass — unique designs appear embedded in the finished product. Gil and Irena work together to determine which colors, which type of dichroic glass, and which shape the overall ring will take.

We are happy to be able to share some of the finished rings themselves in the video because it is difficult to communicate their magnificence with photography alone, but even the videos don't do the rings themselves justice. They are truly majestic when beheld

Irene also does metalsmithing and glass etching and Gil makes some small sculptural glass pieces, so make sure to check out zulasurfing's other designs in their shop.

[etched glass pendants]

[casts of fused glass bricks]

[jewelry made from amethyst geodes]

Process is a new Etsy video series that features the intimate relationship formed between Etsy sellers and the handmade items that they create and make available to the world through their online shops. Process is not to be confused with a How-To video, as each video is intended to show each seller's unique artistic voice through the process by which their items come to be.

Jewelry tagged Dichroic Glass | More Process Videos on the Storque | Jewelry Lover's Gift Guide

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Facts and Fancies: Dichroic Glass

Process: Fused Dichroic Glass Rings by zulasurfing