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Kaleidoscopes

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    Learn More About Kaleidoscopes

    Kaleidoscopes are optical devices designed like miniature, hand-held telescopes that you turn to see patterns of beautiful colors and shapes through an eyepiece. While they’re known as a popular kids’ toy, you can also find a wide range of kaleidoscopes for adults.


    Browse the shops on Etsy to discover beautiful handmade kaleidoscopes, stained glass kaleidoscopes, and antique kaleidoscopes featuring decorative and intricate designs that are perfect for home decor or as desk toys for the office.

    Kaleidoscopes work by using light, mirrors, and colored objects to create dazzling shape-shifting patterns as you rotate their outer cylinder or tube.


    Inside a kaleidoscope are small rectangular mirrors arranged in a triangular shape and tiny pieces of colored plastic, glass, or beads. When light enters through one end of the kaleidoscope, multiple images of the colored material are reflected in the mirrors, forming a pattern. As you turn the kaleidoscope, the pieces shift to form different, symmetrical patterns that you can see through the viewer.