Earrings Multicolored Dichroic Glass In Silver and Gold

I had made Dichroic glass earrings and pendants some time back and wanted to make a new pair.

The glass is sandwiched between two layers of silver clay. I decided to have two different textures on each earring to make them unique. The layer at the back is also textured so you can flip the ear wire and have a totally different pair of earrings. There is a window at the back to let the glass breath when it is in the kiln. Since the back is a deep blue and the front is multicolored the contrast is delightful.

The sandwiching process takes some concentration because you want to work fast so that the clay stays moist and pliant as you go through the various steps. The template starts out as a larger size then switches to a size smaller so you can cut away the excess clay and have a very smooth fit. After drying and refining the piece is fired to accommodate the firing behavior of the glass as well as the clay. The glass slumps a bit in the kiln and is cradled by the shrinking clay.

I added 24K Gold Foil using an ancient Korean technique of Keum Boo. Patina was painted on for accent.

This sounds very technical but the outcome is beautiful. The colors are so varied, the photo does not do the earrings justice.

Dimensions : 1 and 3/4 inch X 1 inch. Sterling silver ear wires. These can be switched to comfortable clip ons for an additional charge.