How to Make Fused Dichroic Glass Jewelry
Creating and designing jewelry with a fused piece of dichroic can be exciting and very rewarding. Dichroic is made up of multiple layers. These layers are made up of metal oxides. The first layer is known as the transmitted color. This is the main color. The other colors are the reflected colors. The piece can be a simple pendant worn on a chain to a more complex piece of stringing with added beads and silver. You can make fused dichroic pieces into earrings, necklaces, bracelets and even rings.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Dichroic glass
- Clear glass
- Safety glasses
- Glass cutter
- Bail or findings of your choice
- Epoxy or high quality glue
- Kiln
Instructions
-
-
1
Decide the shape. Decide what style pendant you want to make, such as square or rectangular. Cut three pieces of the glass in this shape. The first piece of the glass is the base color of the glass you want. The second piece of glass is your dichroic glass. You can use pieces of dichroic, if you do not have a solid piece. The third piece of glass is your top layer, which will be your clear glass.
-
2
Stack your layers on top of each other. Make as many pieces as you want. Use different sizes and color combinations. Make the pieces using the dichroic with the black background. Make pieces with the clear background.
-
-
3
Place stacked pieces on the prepared kiln shelf located in the kiln. Fire at full fuse at 1450 degrees.
-
4
Select your piece. Select the item you want to make into a piece of jewelry. You will need to glue a bail (finding) onto to the pendant. Findings are different accessories used in jewelry making, from bails to chains. Before applying glue or epoxy, rough up the back of the pendant, as this will give it a better bond.
-
5
Design the pendant. A simple design is stringing the pendant on a beautiful chain, or you can do a more complex design by adding beads and silver.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Basic knowledge of cutting glass help with this procedure.
Resources
- Photo Credit Barbara Flood
