Hand Blown Glass Ornament:
* hand blown glass strawberry 1/2 inch across
* 2 hand blown glass leaves
* hand blown clear glass globe 2-1/4 inches diameter
* your choice of silver or gold color
* cap is metal-colored foil with spring wire
* chain and other parts are sterling silver or 14/20 gold-filled
* shipped in 2 pieces with assembly instructions
* free gift boxes with stretch bows.
Did you pick strawberries when you were little? I picked them by the gallon in my Dad's garden every summer. Even in the middle of winter, strawberries bring me back to hot summer childhood days. This ornament is a great way to preserve your happy childhood memories and enjoy them on your tree each Christmas.
FINAL ASSEMBLY IS REQUIRED. Directions are below and will also be shipped with the ornament. WHENEVER YOU MOVE OR STORE THE ORNAMENT YOU SHOULD TURN IT UPSIDE DOWN so that all the parts are slumped down into the neck/cap area (although the cap can stay on). that way. all the pieces are at rest together. While they might slide around a bit during movement, the berry can't swing back and forth and smash the side, which could break the globe.
About Shipping:
I shipping most orders in 1-3 business days. Free shipping in the US is via USPS First Class Parcel Service (now called Ground Advantage) which takes 2-5 business days. If you need your package sooner, an upgrade to Priority Mail or Express Mail can be purchased during Checkout. If you need more certainty, Message me to discuss options for UPS 2-day and Next Day Air. A signature will be required for orders valued over $500. If it's inconvenient to sign for packages at your home address, during checkout you can provide the address of another place where someone will be available to sign - perhaps at your work or the home of a trusted friend.
The Nature of Mother Nature:
Almost nothing in nature is completely round, smooth or even, so I avoid making my glass fruit and leaves too perfectly. I put on little splotches and speckles, make them a tidbit lopsided, and add other small imperfection so that each berry or leaf is unique. This makes them look much more real.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS:
The cap, with chain and glass items already attached, will be packed in a small gift box separate from the glass sphere. This way the beads won't bang around inside the hollow space during shipping, as that could lead to chipping or breakage. After you receive your package you can assemble the ornament by carefully threading the berry, leaves and spring wires down through the opening in the sphere and settling the cap into place.
I've pre-tested your ornament to be sure that everything can slide inside. Patience is required but force is not. Start with the cap assembly in its natural (ring upwards) position. Place your fingers on the outsides of the two spring wires. Squeeze them together until the ends are less than ½ inch apart, with the leaves and berries hanging down between them. Now you’re ready to pick up the globe with your other hand.
Continue to squeeze the springs together and position the berry above the sphere opening. Using gravity, let the berry slip down through the mouth of the sphere, followed by the point of the lowest leaf, then the point of the next-lowest leaf, etc. All the leaves go in point-downward. If any of them get flipped backward, gently pull the assembly back out and start again.
As the ends of the spring wires approach the mouth of the sphere, slip them both inside. After that you can let go of the springs and use your fingers to help you coax the rest of the leaves down inside. Do not apply any force to push the pieces inside the sphere. Gravity and a little wiggling and jiggling will allow them to slide through.
Please be very careful of the glass rim at the mouth of the sphere. The glass is thin and irregular in shape. Applying pressure to the glass lip could cause it to shatter and create a sharp glass hazard.
If the silver findings inside should tarnish, you may take the ornament apart as needed for cleaning. It’s easiest to hold the ornament mouth-downward and wiggle gently so gravity helps the pieces to slide out. Again, gentle patience is the key.
Whenever you move or store the ornament you should turn it upside down so that all the parts are slumped down into the neck/cap area (although the cap can stay on). that way. all the pieces are at rest together. While they might slide around a bit during movement, the berries can't swing back and forth and smash the side, which could break the globe.
Process and Materials:
These glass strawberry and leaf beads are individually handmade by me from Italian and Czech colored glass rods in the flame of a torch. I apply each seed and leaf of the strawberry separately, one by one. I did not make the glass sphere - that is purchased from another source.
Sustainability:
The packaging for your order has been reduced as much as possible while still preventing glass breakage. Everything that's left is made from recycled, sustainable or repurposed materials. Brown packing tape can be recycled right along with the cardboard boxes and paper inserts or filler. The organic Kapok fiber padding inside your gift box will biodegrade, but not fast enough for curbside composting. Please put that in your regular trash. Even the red stretch ribbon on your gift box (which also goes in regular trash) was bought at a second-hand shop and repurposed! :)
Photography:
The photos above are representative of the glass ornaments I make in this style. The ornament you receive will be similar to, but not exactly the same as, the one shown above. There will be some minor variations in the shape, size and color patterns of each fruit and leaf.
