How to make glass cabochons?

[Taogem]

Link to authors website on how to make glass cabochons?


All of the cabochons that this person makes are glass and they come from two main processes. The first process she usees for cabochons is lampwork (or torch work). These are made in a very similar process to the beads that I also create and sell. Flameworked cabochons allow for very unique colorations and designs with details that straight fused pieces cannot easily capture. Often, once a piece has been created in the flame and kiln annealed and she will sometimes slump it to a flatter profile, but not always! Some cabs encase in clear so they look like mini paperweights.





The second type of cabochons that she makes are straight fused cabs. These pieces start life as sheet glass and dichroic which she carefully layers directly into a cold kiln. The pieces are then super heated so the glass sheets become molten and reform into a new, patterned piece. This is the process she most often follow when using dichroic glass. Once fired the new pieces may be complete or may be cut up into smaller components and then firepolished for a nice finish.

This is an example of a fused cabochon with dichroic glass components:



What is a grooved edge and what do you do with it?:

Using a jewelry bit, she can grind a small channel in the edge of my glass cabochons. The groove allows 18-20 Gauge wire to nestle securely when wire wrapping the cabochon for use as a pendant or component piece.

This is the groove:



Here is a cab that's been wrapped using the groove:



What else?

Sometimes she likes to give her cabs additional texture or shapes. One way that this is accomplished is through cold working the piece, sawing, and polishing. She also likes to leave some of the dichro exposed on occasion as it makes for interesting textures.

Here is a dichro cab that had additional processing:



So what can I do with glass cabochons?

Need some ideas?
Cabs can be hung from a pendant bail or wire-wrapped to incorporate them into a necklace. They are often used as a focal piece in a bracelet, and small cabs can be attached to posts to make earrings. Here are a few examples of how glass cabs can be used:







(note: pictured seed bead pendants created by designer Amy Johnson using Gwaciebeads cabochons)





You can vote for the authors website here !

[cindy]

Those are beautiful!