coalchild
Guelph, Canada ·
coalchild
coalchild - Stained Glass Jewelry and GiftsGuelph, Canada 338 Sales On Etsy since 2011
Announcement All Items are ready made and will be shipped in a handmade fleece gift bag!
Announcement
All Items are ready made and will be shipped in a handmade fleece gift bag!
Reviews
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Kim Groome on Jun 27, 2018
5 out of 5 starsThis is one of the most unique pieces I wear now! And the fact it is made in Alberta is AWESOME PEOPLE! Speaking of people, People are often amazed what a wonderful stained glass piece is doing as a necklace! I can enjoy it even a a window piece when not wearing it!! Thanks so much for the longer chain option as well.
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marion de sousa on Mar 21, 2018
5 out of 5 starsBeautiful necklace! It arrived just in time for me to wear on St. Patricks Day, too! thank you!!
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Odette on Dec 29, 2017
5 out of 5 starsI Love It Very Very Much!!!!! I got A Lot of Compliments :D :D :D THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH :) :)
About
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My fitting and cutting table .....always a mess and exploding new ideas and combinations.
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Grinding station ....my grinder should get an award for most used....and I'm its third owner. Almost vintage.
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Soldering station, always busy.
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Close up of some pieces I'm currently working on.
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Double desk area where final details are drawn,embellishments chosen and patterns cut.
Freestyling Stained Glass Jewelry
After putting down my cutter for a few years I had decided it was time to come back to my stained glass path. But I wanted to do something different than the usual suncatchers or panels or garden art I had done previously. My daughter suggested jewelry which was entirely new to me, and then she turned me onto Etsy and then, well the rest is history...
My Process:
Design
While hanging out with my husband I almost always have paper and pencil at hand to sketch out ideas. Out of 20 ideas, maybe 5 or 6 will get refined enough to take down to my basement studio, and then only 1 or 2 will end up making the cut. I have found that some designs that may look very simple in a panel end up being very complicated when trying to reproduce them in a miniature state.
Glass
Once I've come up with a workable design, the next step is to choose the glass. I base most of my color and texture choices on personal preference, but some color decisions are based on what's in or popular.
I then hand cut the glass and fine grind all glass edges to fit into the design-sort of like piecing together a puzzle. Grinding the edges also ensures the copper foil will have a rough surface to adhere to and, most important., it ensures you will not get poked by sharp bits.
Foiling
The glass pieces are thoroughly washed and dried in order to remove all glass dust,and then copper foil is applied. I use a variety of widths for my pieces with a black backing. Finally, the foiled pieces are burnished so there are no air bubbles, and so that all folds, corners and curves are smooth.
Soldering
Glass pieces are put on a surface where I can stick pins to hold the design together while getting joined up with solder.
Only Lead Free Solder is used for your safety.
I coat the pieces with flux which helps the solder to melt and adhere to the copper foil. Then I work the lines of the piece to build up a nice solder line thats smooth and thick covering all corners and edges. Sometimes the solder is thickest at the back of the piece, I do this on purpose to reinforce your piece so it lasts forever. Then the soldered jewelry is washed in warm water with dish detergent and a toothbrush to remove all signs of the flux.
Patina
Patina is limited in colour ...there is black or copper..and sometimes you never know once applied what the completed finish will look like..many stained glass artists over time have developed a trick or two to achieve different looks but this too is limited. Once all pieces are coated and rubbed with patina they are let to dry and then I rinse them thoroughly with warm water to remove any chemical traces of patina.
Waxing--Burnishing Again
Jewelry is coated with a carnuba car wax, let dry for the wax to cloud, then a rough cloth removes excess wax, a toothbrush removes any sticky bits from the creases and the piece is then polished and polished and polished.
Now its ready to be Etsy- fied.... photos, listing etc.
So what are you waiting for? You know I made this for you!
I hope this gives you an idea of the work that goes into each individual jewelry item I create.
What I didn't mention is each item created, is created with joy and peace and a love for what I'm doing and I hope to pass this good karma onto you when you wear it.
Shop members
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coalchild
Owner, Maker, Designer, Curator
I've been doing stained glass for over a decade...panels,suncatchers and larger items..but focusing on pendants and jewelery for now cause there are just so many ideas and applications for jewelery that original designs seem to flow.
Shop policies
I want every customer to be a happy customer... I want you to tell your friends and family...and I want my business to thrive but none of that would be remotely possible unless you the customer are treated with respect and honesty.
As to that end, I will do my best to see you are happy with your purchase and answer any questions you have about my products.
All my jewelry is handmade by me and I spend time and attention in making each piece unique, scratches, pock marks or bubbles naturally occur within the glass and cannot be helped but I do my best to give you a piece of jewelry that you can be proud of and with a little care have for generations to come.
Accepted payment methods
- Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
Returns and exchanges
Shipping
I can not be responsible for any customs charges that occur within your given country. Please be aware of your countries customs policy.
Any shipping upgrades will be paid by the customer unless a prior agreement has been struck between both parties.
Additional policies and FAQs
This little buffer bag is an excellent way to shine your stained glass pendant or jewelry and also protects it before and after its shipped to you.
For Pendants that are pictured without a chain I will include a long piece of thick black cording to hang your pendant.