Questions And Answers ...
The design is crystal clear: this is a product of the highest quality. Swarovski crystals are world class, second to none, with incredible sparkle and clarity, and multi-faceted to resemble gemstones. Crystal is the most expensive form of glass. At the end of the 19th Century Daniel Swarovski invented a machine that cut crystal into a variety of complex faceted shapes including diamond, sphere, cube, teardrop, round, and flat. By adding color, Swarovski advanced the crystal into the world of fashion creating a sparkling universe. The seductive crystal has also inspired and enriched both art and culture. Not only are they used to create jewelry, tiaras, watches, adorn and add elegance to clothing, and home decorating accents (ornaments and chandeliers) but also optical items (binoculars, spotting and rifle scopes). No one else has been able to duplicate the cutting and color processes to capture the exact Swarovski crystal brilliance from one crystal to the next. In comparison Swarovski crystals are 32% lead. Czech fire polished beads are made of glass and they do not contain lead. They are faceted by machines then placed in hot ovens or over open flames. By virtue of this process, the edges and surfaces of Czech beads are all slightly different from each other; the faceted cuts do not match, and color differences between beads do occur.
What is so special about Swarovski crystals? Why are they considered to be the best?
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What are fiber optic Cat's Eyes?
Dichroic glass is a special type of glass I use as a design element in many of my kiln-fused glass pieces. The vibrant colors of the glass are a result of multiple microscopic (15-45) thin layers of different metal oxide coatings (gold, silver, titanium, chromium, aluminum, zirconium, magnesium), applied to the surface of clean glass and fired in a high temperature chamber vacuum furnace. The oxides absorb and reflect light at different rates giving the glass a beautiful, iridescent rainbow-like effect. The glass has a transmitted color and a completely different reflective color that shift and blend depending on the angle of view. Due to the labor and skills required in the actual making of raw dichroic glass, it is an expensive item for the artist.
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Fiber optic cat's eyes are man-made from quarts fibers (optically pure glass), the same materials used in fiber optic telephone cables. The quartz fibers are fused together, then machine-cut into shapes. The cat's eye or shimmer, technically called chatoyancy makes these beads attractive. The beads refract light and change appearance from different angles. The definite eye streak creates an eye-catching stylish movement when worn. All of my fiber optic cat's are exquisite "Grade A" beads. Grade A has a well-defined eye line shimmer and consistency in color from bead to bead.
What is Art ClayÒ Silver?
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With lab created gemstones, you get the best -- a perfect stone. These wonderful gemstones have their origins in a laboratory and are grown under carefully controlled conditions to produce the exact color and clarity desired. They are the same exact material like amethyst, ruby, sapphire, and emerald with the same molecular makeup, specific gravity, and Mohs' hardness (Mohs' hardness value indicates the materials resistance to scratching). In fact, they are of better quality than most of the natural gems on the market today. You get all the durability, color, and beauty of natural stones without flaws. Due to technical advances lab created gems have greater clarity. I purchase only the best which are created in Russia. It takes a trained professional with special equipment to tell the difference between lab created and high quality natural stones. Lab created stones are perfect for placing directly into my ArtClayÒ Silver jewelry. They can withstand the excessive high firing temperatures of a kiln because they are virtually flawless.
What are lab created gemstones?
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Art ClayÒ Silver is silver clay. When taken out of a package, it looks like a moist lump of clay composed of silver powder, organic binders, and water. The clay is then molded and shaped into what ever you desire and can be adorned with gemstones and fused glass to create beautiful jewelry. After drying the clay is filed and sanded then ready to be fired at high temperatures to burn away the binder leaving only 99.9% pure silver. The pure silver can be polished to a beautiful mirror finish.
Do you donate a percentage of every sale to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society?
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Yes, I really do, it is something that I am truly devoted to. My mother was a very caring and giving person and during her life time she always helped others as much as possible. I continue to do so in her honor with a donation from every purchase to the society. Click on CML button (top right of page) for more information.
To make a cabachon or pendant, I'll place dichroic glass between or amongst layers of compatible fusible glass and glue them together. Compatible means the glass will contract and expand at the same rate when heated and cooled. The cabachon or pendant is fired in a kiln to permanently blend and fuse all the pieces. Beautiful results are achieved by the type of glass used, adjusting the temperature, and length of time the glass is in the kiln. To achieve certain effects, I'll fire the glass more than once. The different types of fusible glass I work with gives me unlimited artistic expression and is stunning when merged with silver and gold metals. Dichroic jewelry has become extremely popular and recently adorned by actresses attending many of Hollywood's red carpet events.
What is dichroic glass?
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Mad Artist Designs
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What is " Sand Dollar Glass" ?
I create this particular art glass for my jewelry pieces and decided to call it "Sand Dollar Glass". It is glass that I have physically changed its clear, see through, original appearance to look like I found it walking on a sandy beach. It even feels like real beach glass, but I would never make a false claim that I found my special "Sand Dollar Glass". I either use an air compressor and a sand blaster or put the glass into a tumbler. Since I do not live in an area that has an abundance of real beach glass, I create the look myself. I combine it with other elements that make lovely pieces of cherished jewelry. Many individuals have commented how beautiful it is.
Gold-filled wire, sometimes called rolled gold, is a wonderful choice if your purchasing jewelry. With the price of gold as high as it is, I am able to offer affordable, unique hand-crafted pieces that will last an entire lifetime at a fraction of the cost of solid karat gold for the same look. Items made with gold filled wire are considered professional jeweler's quality and not fashion jewelry. Gold-filled wire is made by forming a hollow tube of 14 karat gold and filling the inside with a base metal, the same metal used to cut pure 24k gold to 14k. I use only the best quality and most durable 14/20 gold-filled wire. Gold-filled wire is available in 10k, 12k, and 14k. In the symbol 14/20, the 14 stands for the karat of gold used and the 20 means 1/20 (the gold content is 5% or 1/20 of the total wire). Gold filled has more than 100 times the amount of gold than gold plate. Gold-plated metal has a very thin layer of gold on the surface usually applied by the process of electroplating. Plating makes the layer of gold much thinner and easy to scratch (usually wears off within a short period of time), and is commonly plated with 10k gold.
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Why do you use gold -filled wire?
How do you make your beautiful fused glass jewelry?
