About Us
Meet Carolyn
From the moment I touched glass to make my first piece of fused glass art, I knew I had found a medium that truly spoke to me. The controlled process of constructing a piece combined with the surprising effect that the firing produced just felt right to me. Glass is like a child…at times unpredictable, but always delightful. Because of the way that glass heats, expands, and melts, each firing can produce unique and unexpected results.
My designs take advantage of the texture, color, and dimension that can be produced with layers of glass. I see the joy that people feel when they see the array of colors in front of them.
That love of color then drove me to create chainmail jewelry that could coordinate with my fused glass jewelry. I enjoy seeing how the different colors work together in those pieces.
I feel very lucky to have found an artistic outlet that gives me such pleasure. I hope that you will share that pleasure each time you wear or use one of my creations.
~Carolyn Korman ~
About Fused Glass
I individually handcraft each piece, creating one-of-a-kind originals which I sign. Because of variations in glass and the nature of the fusing process, no two pieces are exactly alike. These items are therefore perfect for that special or any occasion gift.
To make each item, I hand-cut individual pieces of glass and assemble them in layers according to my design. I then fire them in a kiln, where the temperature is slowly brought to as high as 1500 degrees and then slowly cooled, or annealed, for strength and durability. This firing process takes as long as 12 hours. All pieces go through multiple firings. Plates, bowls, and home decor items are laid on a mold and reheated to slump into their final shape. Most jewelry is hand-ground to its final shape then fired one last time to achieve a polished finish.
Most items I make are topped off by clear glass, giving an appearance of depth to the item. Others, however, are bare, showing the texture and uniqueness of the iridized or dichroic glass with which I work. I use this type of fusing procedure to preserve the dimensional nature of the layers of glass used to create the final piece.
I use only the finest materials to finish my work. Earring bails, ear wires, pendant bails and the clasps on the rubber cords are either sterling silver, sterling silver plated or 24K gold filled. Ear posts are surgical steel and come with comfort disks (large circles to hold the earring comfortably in place).
All pieces are lead free and food safe. To clean the glass, handwashing is recommended.
About Chainmail
The art of chainmail dates back to the 5th century as a way of creating armor. But I have fully modernized this ancient process by introducing an array of colors in jewelry making. I weave metal rings into intricate patterns creating interesting designs. I have integrated small glass beads and my fused glass pieces into some of my designs. I can make custom pieces to match your color, design, and size preference.
I carefully select the size of the metal rings to be used in each piece. The ratio of the thickness of the wire and the size of the opening are critical to determining the quality of the final designs. All of the rings I use to create my metal jewelry designs are anodized aluminum which are very lightweight, tarnish resistant, and come in a wide range of bright colors.
The anodizing process involves placing the aluminum in an acid bath and sending an electric current through which essentially opens up the pores of the metal allowing the color to be absorbed. The color is on the surface of the metal (there is still a silver aluminum core to each ring), but fully integrated into the rings. The metal can be scratched by steel, but it cleans easily with just soap and water.
As with my fused glass jewelry, I use only the finest materials to finish my work. Ear wires are either sterling silver or 24K gold plated. The lobster claw clasps used on the bracelets and necklaces are plated metals.
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