Hi Karen, In response to your question about the gallery owner that
said dichroic glass is “old hat”, I’d have to say he is very, very
wrong. We manufacture dichroic glass cabochons for jewelers and our
business continues to grow every month. I have not experienced any
drop off in the buying of dichroic glass, in fact it has been quite
the opposite. We’ve been very busy and I anticipate that we’ll get
even busier as we come into the fall and our clients start ramping up
for Tucson in February. We expected to have a slight drop off in
sales after February this year, figuring that we had put out so much
glass that our buyers would be set for a while. We were wrong, there
was no drop off, it remained steady and we gained new clients.
I think that you are right. The dichroic glass market is just
beginning to see the evolution of some really amazing and beautifully
done glass. There is a lot of talent out there and I don’t see that
the popularity of dichroic glass will die anytime soon. There is so
much potential and variety in dichroic glass. I don’t see how an art
form that is continually evolving can get “old hat”. I think that
perhaps the gallery owner just wasn’t seeing really good dichroic
glass. Unfortunately, there is a lot of it out there that isn’t good
quality, at least nothing we’d sell for jewelers. Perhaps he would be
inspired to carry it again if he were to find an artist using high
quality dichroic glass with exciting colors and textures.
I have made some pieces that I am really proud of. I have done two
shows with those pieces as part of my inventory. I sold one and that
was to a friend. Another jewelry artist that I trust says that he
thinks the perceived value is not as high as with natural stone. I
am waiting to test the market a little more before continuing with
more dichroic. I love it, though. I just can’t get the color I am
looking for in the natural materials. I have never made it to the
Tucson show, but I plan to go this year. My friend who does my
lapidary work keeps offering me the jaspers and the agates, etc. I
want color!!
Another jewelry artist that I trust says that he thinks the
perceived value is not as high as with natural stone."
I agree with the assessment. My wife has been purchasing dichroic
glass lately and we find a piece approx 30x40 in size about 5mm thick
and nicely done runs from $18 to $24. A well cut colorful piece of
jasper that size could go for as much as $100, maybe more (depending
on many variables of course). Even a piece of nice ‘leaverite’ would
go for $20.
I like di glass but believe the current price is about where it
should be.
Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut1
Sue, I cut a lot of agates and jaspers. Colors that are natural and
bright are very rare. My estimate is that one out of every 100 cabs
that I cut are both natural and bright. These numbers come out of
comparisons of thousands of custom cabs all cut out of choice rough
materials. I also cut a lot of facetted stones. It is a lot easier
to cut a bright colorful facetted stone than it is a cab. Bright,
natural cabs also suffer the same bad effects as bright colored
facetted stones - they will color fade if exposed to extensive
sunlight. Bright, natural cabs are, IMHO, the rarest of gems on the
Earth.
Dichroic glass is very interesting, but it is not a synthetic nor is
it a gemstone. Glass is entirely man manufactured. Yes, I know
there is natural material with the properties of glass, but they are
not chemically as pure as glass. Nor, does glass try to look like
the natural material. Dichroic is a new kind of glass and should be
marketed as such, taking its place as a new jewelry art material.
If I might add: Glass is nothing more than the manipulation of what
the earth has given us so to say glass is entirerly man made is
totally incorrect. the first glass was discovered in old fire pits
on the mediteranian, was that man made? of coarse than there is
obsideon… some of which has every color in the rainbow in it and
was never touched by human hands… So to say man made is
incorrect when it should be man imitated… Just my two cents
worth…ringman John Henry
Dichroic is a new kind of glass and should be marketed as such,
taking its place as a new jewelry art material.
Gerry, Dichroic glass has been around for at least 20 years. At least
I have been aware of it for about that long. I suppose that is “new”
in the great scheme of things. Joel