Glass Pendents

Even though I don't wear jewelry very often I really enjoy making glass pendents and especially "donuts." I've started making a few earrings too but that's a pretty new thing.

I realized I didn't take any pictures of the very beginning of this set of jewelry so this was from another jewelry blank (what we call the slab of glass we make to them cut up into jewelry). I usually start by making some components. Here are a bunch of glass stringers that will melt into rods that I'll cut up.

the method of making rods of stringers, once you cut them the cross-section looks pretty cool with points of color. I then usually fire some of those again to get little balls of glass.

I make the stringer rods (and then dots) and also some stacks of glass (that are called puddles) and cut those up and then add other pieces from other projects AND a lot of clear glass on a couple pieces of base glass to make a jewelry blank.

A REALLY liked the red side of this piece. Some of the purple side went too dark but it ended up working well in the end. Once the blank is fired and I like the composition I put a sheet of clear glass over it and fire it upside down. Firing it upside down helps the little air bubbles to go towards the bottom of the piece instead of rising to the top. Also since I stack the pile of glass so high I often end up with a piece that's almost a 1/2 inch thick and have to cut it up and fire it again to thin it out to about 1/4 inch to make my final jewelry pieces.

here's a close-up of the red side.

then I start cutting it up. I cut these 4 squares out to add to another piece later. Maybe a bowl or tray or something.

I really like doing "donuts" but the studio has taken away the drill press so I need to find another place to drill circles. Maybe David Brown will let me use his drill press. :0)

I then use a grinder to shape the edges a little bit and then sand blast the pieces and clean them before there final firing.

And here they are. Made quite a few earring sets in this series and 8 donuts.
And here's a closer view.
From start to finish it usually takes about 2 months for me to make a set and I get 20-40 pieces out depending on how I cut it and what the glass does. Every series is quite original so when I start a jewelry blank I am never quite sure what the end result will be. But that's part of the fun!