That same spirit of luxury indulgence is now captured in the newest and hottest thing to hit the glass art and craft world : dichroic glass. Since its development for the aerospace industry, artists have started using this glass to create unique items for public, art, home and personal use.
Dichroic glass is glass that contains multiple micro-layers of metal oxides vapours, condensed on on the surface of the glass in the form of a crystal structure. The main characteristic of dichroic glass is that it has a transmitted colour and a completely different reflected colour, as certain wavelengts of light either pass through or are reflected. This causes an array of shifting colours to be displayed, depending on the angle of view.
Dichroic glass before use in various fused applications.
Dichroic glass can be fused with other glass in multiple firings. Due to variations in the firing process, individual results can never be exactly predicted, so each piece of fused dichroic glass is unique. Dichroic glass is specifically designed to be hotworked but can also be used in its raw form. Sculpted glass elements that have been shaped by extreme heat and then fused together may also be coated with dichroic afterwards to make them reflect an array of colors.
colourful door knobs by Uneek glass fusions , beautiful plates by laurelyourkowski, jewellery by argeebargee, architectural applications by john blazey.
The glittering, playful, rainbow magic of dichroic glass makes it very sought after for jewellery, home details that are the talk of the town and large, mesmerising archtectural installations and artworks. Glitz and glam has never failed to capture the imagination of humankind!
