Archive for February, 2010
Space Age Style
We might not be driving to work every day in flying cars, but there’s no denying that the Space Age has provided mankind with a multitude of discoveries and innovations. Some of these are directly related to space exploration, and others came about almost accidentally. Many of the items that we use regularly in the course of our daily lives were developed for much different reasons.
Dichroic glass is just one example. NASA developed this particular type of glass for use in mirrors on satellites. Today, jewelers craft and sell the result of that innovation: dichroic necklaces. These necklaces feature a unique sparkle that can only be attained through a complex glass-making process involving quartz crystal, metal oxides and an electron beam gun.
Gorgeous Glass Jewelry
While some people think that jewelry has to contain precious gemstones to be beautiful, in truth some of the most gorgeous jewelry is made from plain old glass. Glass, while not representing quite the distinction of a precious gemstone, is a hardy material that has a wonderful luster and can be molded into different shapes. When thinking of glass jewelry, don’t believe that these accessories feature the same clear glass found in window panes. Glass jewelry is much more like a stained glass window than it is a standard window pane. Each piece of glass jewelry contains unique colors, and because of the manner in which glass jewelry is heated, there’s never one piece quite the same as another.
Amongst glass jewelry, you will find glass necklaces, bracelets, and earrings the most common accessories. But glass can be used to create any kind of accessory, and because glass is so malleable, it’s much easier to craft it into a unique shape than a precious stone. Celebrate glass jewelry by giving it to friends and family!