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Materials Used In Designs
Borosilicate Lampwork Glass
Borosilicate glass is a very unique and specialized variety of glass. Its composition is different from the "soft" glass that is normally used for beads, paperweights, art glass bowls, ornaments, etc. Borosilicate glass is far stronger than "soft" glass and has been used for everything from stovetop cookware to nuclear waste containment. The use of boron oxide particles results in a glass that is harder and more durable. The color palette in boro glass is amazing, even though there are actually fewer colors available to work with but each one is an organic, living color that can be manipulated and shaded with careful torch work and annealing.
Lampwork Glass Beads
Lampworking is a type of glasswork that uses a gas fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Once in a molten state, the glass is formed by blowing and shaping with a variety of tools and hand movements. It is also known as flameworking or torchworking, as the modern practice no longer uses oil-fueled lamps. Although the art form has been practiced since ancient times, it became widely practiced in Murano, Italy in the 14th century. In the mid 19th century lampwork technique was extended to the production of paperweights, primarily in France, where it became a popular art form, still collected today.
Most artists today use torches that burn either propane or natural gas, or in some countries butane, for the fuel gas, with either air or pure oxygen (which can be produced by an oxygen concentrator) as the oxidizer.
Sterling silver
Sterling Silver is composed of .925 parts of pure silver and .75 parts alloy.
Swarovski Crystals
Swarovski is the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of cut crystal, and it is widely regarded as the finest crystal in the world.
Gemstones
A gemstone or gem, also called a precious or semi-precious stone, is a piece of attractive mineral, which — when cut and polished — is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However certain rocks, (such as lapis-lazuli) and organic materials (such as amber or jet) are not minerals, but are still used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their lustre or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone.
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