Linda has worked in fused glass since the summer of 2005.  She made multiple trips to Ghost Ranch in Aibiqui, New Mexico to learn the art of fused Dichroic Glass and tin making.  After 3 years, her husband decided to bring the craft to the homefront by buying her a computer-controlled ceramic kiln.  While Linda gave away most of her jewelry prior to the purchase of the kiln, she decided to start her own jewelry business once she had all the tools available within her home.

During her time living in New Jersey, she had participated in many juried craft shows.  In the fall of 2012, she relocated to the beautiful town of Aiken, South Carolina where she continues to show her work in local artisan shops and craft shows.  Linda continues to share her work with her friends through home-based shows and gifts.

Browse her collection @ the Center for the Arts and own a one-of-a-kind piece crafted by a local artist.

Center for the Arts is located in downtown Aiken, South Carolina

122 Laurens St SW, Aiken, SC 29801

Creative Process by the Artist

In order to produce a successful piece of fused glass jewelry, one needs to have the patience to cut and grind.  To begin a piece, I cut pieces of glass that I have selected into desired shapes and sizes.  The edges will be rough after cutting, so they are ground using glass cutter oil and a special cutter to produce both smooth face and edges.  The pieces are then stacked together and fired to produce the desired outcome.

There are two types of firings that I utilize:

1.) Full fuse: fires pieces up to 1600 degrees F.  This produces one smooth piece of glass.

2.) Tac fuse: fires pieces up to 1450 degrees F.  This produces a 3 dimensional look.

The full fuse firing is the more challenging type of firing.  This type of firing requires the glass to be in the kiln for 16 hours.  Surprises also happen often with this type as the glass tends to shift when it melts.  When this happens, as it most often does, I need to regrind the piece and refire it. Some pieces can be fired up to 3 times to get the desired “look”.   After the pieces cool, I then glue the findings (bails, wires, earring findings) onto the piece.  While I use sterling silver findings for some items such as earring wires, most of the findings I use can be bought at craft stores such as Hobby Lobby.

I often experiment with different mediums such as copper and base medal through incorporating them into my pieces.  One never knows how a piece will turn out. But that is the fun in doing this craft.

The list below includes my most common materials and hardware.  Most of the hardware can be bought through retailers such as Amazon while the fusible glass is available only through glass manufacturers who specialize in the types of glass that I use (i.e. dichroic)

Materials used

1.) fusible glass (tempered to withstand high temperatures)

2.) Glastac glue

3.) Glass cutter oil

4.) Glass snappers

5.) Glass cutters

6.) Jewelry findings

7.) Glass kiln