Glass Jewelry for the Home

Filed in archive Jewelry Trends on February 24, 2007

Glass is so versatile, one of the reasons I've been drawn to it myself in my own jewelry making. I especially love playing with fused glass techniques. Before jewelry, however, the home was a place for glass to really show its stuff, and that has not changed. In fact, it's a growing trend now to use glass as a embellishment for the home, and this article from Glass on the Web actually refers to it as a type of jewelry for the home:

Glass tiles are colorful, reflect light and add an artful sophistication to the trophy kitchen, spa bathroom and any area that cries out for attention. Architects, designers and skilled do-it­yourselfers are going for the glass look on backsplash­es, countertops and floors. They're surrounding fireplace mantels and covering supporting pillars in high-rise condominiums.

Make no mistake. Glass tiles are pricey. Uninstalled tiles typically cost $30 to $60 a square foot and can go as high as $350 for custom applications. But diehard fans insist the result is well worth the cost. 'Glass tile is strikingly beautiful in so many differ­ent ways,' says Patricia Hart McMillan, a South Flori­da designer and co-author with her daughter, Katharine Kaye McMillan, of the new book 'Glass Tile Inspirations for Kitchens and Baths' (Schiffer, $19.95). 'It's a material that tile designers can work with to change the colors, textures and patterns. It has unlim­ited possibilities for con­stant invention. The design potential is inexhaustible. No wonder people are total­ly intrigued by it.'

This ancient material new technologies have allowed tile designers to produce it in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and textures. The choices are as varied as decorating styles. There's cast glass, enameled glass and fused glass. You can find pastels, neutrals, jewel tones and metallics as well as black and white. Finishes are frosted, crackled, gloss, gold flecked, iridescent, matte and opaque. Textures are fused, molded or tumbled. Besides looking good, those made out of recycled glass are ecologically correct.