Stained Glass

Over the ages, the world has seen its fair share of stunning stained glass displays. There were the vibrant glass windows of the great cathedrals of Europe in the Gothic Age, the painted glass of the Renaissance that destroyed the popularity of medieval windows, and the 19th century revival of medieval windows in a style known as Tiffany style. In the modern day, new technologies, development of the individual artist and recognition of the glass making craft as a hobby have led to an explosive interest towards more imaginative and unique styles of decorating glass.

Limestone, silica sand and soda ash are used to make glass at temperatures of approximately 3000 F. Colouring is done by adding metal oxides during the glass making process. These elements are known to capture certain portions in the spectrum of white light so that you are able to see certain colours: gold and selenium produce yellow, pink and cranberry colours; sulphur produces amber; cobalt makes blue; copper creates brick red and green; silver gives shades of gold and yellow.

The more appropriate name for stained glass today is art glass, as it is coloured glass artistically cut into various designs that are brought together in a mosaic to form a unified picture. In this new golden age in glass, you find art glass being used to make home and church windows and lampshades. The more artistic individuals even use it for clocks, picture frames, cabinet doors, boxes and many other 3-dimenstional projects.

When you purchase glass with a hot colour, say orange, yellow, pink or red, you are purchasing the final, expensive product of an extremely refined process. If you want to create your own stained glass masterpiece, there are many kits and tools available to purchase. Often stained glass suppliers will also run courses and workshops, so you’ll be an expert in no time.