Once upon a time there was a little girl who used to go with her mom to art shows, ask for $5., and buy melted, stretched out pop bottles that were sold for tacky ash trays. She also collected all sorts of flashy jewelry from cheap rings out of vending machines to antique rhinestone necklaces. Somewhere it was destined that these events would be tied together. My current style emerged when I blew up a pop bottle in my kiln while trying to reproduce those stretched out tacky ash trays. All the pieces had melted into little blobs and sat there looking like jewels. It was as if I had stumbled into Ali Baba's cave. I had experimented with enameling, and knew a little about glass fusing to copper, using frit. Frit, to me always came in neat little pre-packed containers, and at that point I thought..WHY NOT MAKE YOUR OWN ???...so in between smashing bottles (covering them with pillowcases so the pieces wouldn't fly), I went to the library and checked out lots of books on glass fusing and pate de verre (glass casting). In the last few years, while immersing in the web, I have discovered many great glass sites (see links for some of my favorites) It took a lot of experimenting and screwing up..some of the "mistakes", of course led to the greatest discoveries. I have a series of "measuring tools" I use to determine the consistency of the glass,(screens, old flour sifters, etc...all pretty low-tech) "They" (you know the "they" that make the rules of everything) speak of glass compatibility, and they are right when it comes to fusing, but I have found that at a certain temperature(1800-2000 degrees), EVERYTHING becomes compatible (hopefully we won't have to see that on this planet to prove the point). So it starts with the smashing of the bottles and the plates (and whatever else glass-wise comes down the pike). Some colors will stay consistent when fired, other colors change greatly, so I have my charts of things like "2 tsp. of 7-up bottles and 1 tsp. of Aquafina water bottle". For the SEAGLASS grouping, I smash the glass very fine (so it goes through my smallest screen). I sprinkle the frit into the molds (see about the molds below), and fire the kiln at about 1900 degrees. When the glass has cooled, I remove the stones from the mold and tumble them to remove any traces of mold investment (see moldmaking below). Then I soak the stones in a hydrofluoric solution to etch a matte finish into the surface. The stones get tumbled again to remove residue. Then a fine layer of gold foil (or silver depending on the stone color) is adhered to the back of the stone. This foil is the secret of the light reflecting back through the stone. Without the foil, the stone would look dull when set in a closed back setting. The foil gives the effect of the stone "lighting up from the inside". Carnivale Glass is formed by a process of fusing a layer of fine gold particles onto the surface of the glass. The particles are suspended in a liquid that is sprayed onto the surface and then burned off in the firing process. The process is called fuming. Carnivale glass was given away in the 1940's and 50's as a prize at the carnival sideshows. It was considered cheap and flashy. Dinnerware made from carnival glass was given away as bonuses inside boxes of detergent. These days, orginal carnival glass in mint condition is highly prized. I work with broken pieces. The glass is similar to dichroic in the way it refracts light (sort of like the reflection of colors on the top of an oil slick). I work this glass at a lower temperature, just enough to slump it, yet not enough to damage the surface treatment. (about 1600 degrees)