The
word "Dichroic"(di-kro-ich) means two
colours, referring to its transmitted colour and reflected colour. Dichroic
glass is a high-tech spin-off of the space industry and was created for use by
NASA. To get this effect, thin layers of rare metallic oxides, such as
titanium, silicon, and magnesium often one atom thick, are deposited upon the
surface of the glass in a high temperature, vacuum furnace. The dichroic coating itself has no colour. The
colours are created by light striking the coating on the glass. Each piece of
dichroic glass has three colours associated with it: a reflected colour, a
transmitted colour and a third reflective colour that can be viewed at a
45-degree angle. This causes the glass to change colour as the light hits
it from different angles. Due to the complexity in creating this special
glass, it is very expensive and somewhat unpredictable to work with.
The glass pendants are made by cutting and
shaping several layers of glass including dichroic glass. The glass is stacked
and fired in a kiln until it becomes molten and fuses together, encasing the
dichroic glass. Each piece is fired repeatedly at different temperatures,
cutting and/or shaping the piece between firings, adding more glass when
needed, until the desired affect is achieved. Some beads have
been fired as many as 5 times and have up to 10 layers of dichroic glass
included in them. An additional firing adds the hole for stringing.
The Pendants are annealed to prevent internal stress and the
possibility of cracking. They are then given a final fire polishing so that all
the edges are smooth to the touch.
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