Newsletter - May 6, 2009

The Jewelry Crafter

A newsletter for the home jeweler

This newsletter will be published every 2 weeks, and will include hints and tips for your jewelry business. Any feedback or comments about the topics presented here are always appreciated. Click here to e-mail us.

If you have an idea for an upcoming article, or would like to submit an article for the newsletter, please contact us. Anyone who submits an article will receive a permanent link to their website in a special section of our link pages.

Dichroic Glass

by

Mary Harvey

Mesmerizing, colorful, intriguing, beautiful. These are just a few terms that describe Dichroic Glass. This material has been very popular for the past couple of years. This extremely versatile material is being used in not only jewelry, but in bead making, art pieces, architecture, and more. But what exactly is Dichroic Glass? Why does it change colors? This week, we will answer all your questions about Dichroic Glass.

The word “Dichroic” is from the Greek word “dikhroos”, meaning 2 colors. Dichroic coatings usually show two different colors, a transmitted color and a reflective color. The transmitted color is the color you see when you look through it, and the reflective color is what you see when you look at the piece at an angle. These two colors are opposite each other on the color spectrum.

Dichroic coatings were originally created as a high-tech filter for the aerospace industry. It is used on astronaut visors and the windows of the space shuttle because of it’s durability and ability to withstand high temperatures. It also has the ability to reflect certain colors of the spectrum, while transmitting others. The coating is created by a very technical process which deposits a vapor of quartz crystal and metal oxides on a base glass. The final color of the coating is determined by the type of metal oxides used and the sequence in which they are applied. There can be as many as 30 - 40 layers (or more) of coating on the glass, but the entire layer is only approximately 35 millionths of an inch thick. The coating is durable, withstands moisture and temperature changes, and is non-toxic.

Dichroic glass has become very popular with jewelry makers and artists because of the unusual color combinations and play of color.  Glass fusers have been using dichroic glass for many years to make a variety of jewelry and artistic objects. Recently, dichroic glass has become available in different COE’s for bead makers and glass blowers. This opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for this unique material. In addition to jewelry applications, dichroic glass is also being used in architecture, theater lighting, infrared lasers, fiber optics, and sunglasses.

As you can see, dichroic coatings are very versatile. If you haven’t already, give this interesting and beautiful material a try. It’s beauty and uniqueness will really make your jewelry stand out.