Dichroic Glass Pendants with the Fuseworks Microwave Kiln

Special thanks to Darice Crafts and Diamond Tech for providing the materials used to make this project.  As always, all opinions are honestly my own.

What’s the last thing you pulled out of the microwave?  Leftovers?  A bag of popcorn?  Today I want to show you what I’ve been taking out of mine lately…some gorgeous fused glass jewelry.  If you’ve been reading along lately, you know that I got an incredibly fun new toy, the Fuseworks Microwave Kiln and Beginner Fusing Kit.  I’ve been having a blast playing with different techniques and creating all kinds of things I can’t wait to show you.  Today, I want you to see how incredibly easy it is to make a gorgeous pendant using Dichroic Glass.

Dichroic Glass Pendant

Materials:

Fuseworks Fusible Shapes – Dichroic Texture Pack
Fuseworks Fusible Shapes – Clear
Fuseworks Microwave Kiln
Kiln Paper
Jewelry Bail
Chain
Elmer’s school glue
Krazy Glue/Jewelry Glue

dichroic

I love working with Dichroic Glass because it’s already gorgeous…you don’t have to do anything but fuse it to make a beautiful piece!  It’s shiny, it looks different in different light, and it comes in all kinds of beautiful colors.  It’s easy peasy.  Take a look:

Step 1: Stack a dichroic circle and a clear circle and place them on a piece of kiln paper in the bottom of your kiln.  I like to use just a tiny drop of Elmer’s glue to hold them together so they don’t shift while I’m placing the kiln in the microwave, which would ruin the piece.  When you stack, you can either place the clear circle on top, which creates a glossy bubble-like finished product, or place the dichroic piece on top, which creates a matte but very colorful finished product.  I’ll show you the difference below.  In this photo, the clear glass is on top, but I switched it before firing because I personally like the other effect better.

Dichroic Glass Pendant

Step 2: Place the lid on your kiln, put the kiln in the microwave, and microwave your piece{s} according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Be sure not to remove the lid until the piece has cooled for a full 30 minutes, and then to remember that your piece is still hot for up to another 40 minutes.

kiln10

Now.  Before we move on, let’s look at the difference in the way the fired pieces turn out.  This piece was fired with the clear glass on top and the dichroic piece on the bottom.  See the high gloss finish and how the dichroic part looks like it’s kind of under a glass bubble?

dichrocircle3b

Here are four dichroic pieces I fused; the one in the bottom right is the one pictured above, with the clear glass on top.  The other three were fired with the dichroic piece on the top.  I personally prefer this look because I feel like it really shows off the beauty of the glass itself, letting its colors take center stage.  Ok.  Now.  Look really closely at all four, as seen from above and then we’re going to watch them magically change when we look from a different angle.  Ready?

Dichroic Glass Pendant

Ooooooooh.  Aaaaaaah.  Magic, isn’t it?  See how the pink/green one turns a brighter pink/yellow?  The brownish red becomes a fiery red, and the bright teal becomes a deep violet.  Gorgeous, aren’t they?

Dichroic Glass Pendant

I just love the way they never quite look the same…it all depends on the angle, the lighting, and your movement as you wear them.  Simply beautiful, without any extra effort on the part of the crafter.  Now that’s the kind of project I like!

Dichroic Glass Pendant

All that’s left to do is attach a bail to the back with some super strong glue and place it on a chain.  Or, if you prefer, you can glue on a pin back or a ring blank to turn it into a different kind of jewelry piece.

Dichroic Glass Pendant

These pendants couldn’t be simpler to make!  All you need is the glass itself and a way to fuse it…this is getting to be quite addictive!  Which dichroic circle is your favorite?  Mine is the one pictured above as a necklace.  I’d love to hear yours!

Curious about the Fuseworks kiln and how this all works?  Take a look at this information or these how-to videos from Diamond Tech.  They also have inspiration for all kinds of other fun fusing projects!  Check out their website or connect with them on Facebook!

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12 Comments

  1. Those are gorgeous! I so want a microwave kiln, but they’re pricey, lol! Maybe if I win that Amazon gift card, I’ll put it towards that intstead! My oldest son isn’t yet ready for a booster seat after all, lol!

  2. Those are some really neat looking little glass pendants! I wouldn’t mind getting one or two to wear on occasion. I think I like the bright blue one the most out of all of those! It doesn’t look like it’d be too difficult to make something similar, so I’ll have to try it out sometime!

  3. Hi Amy. I’m using scrap glass from my stained glass projects! The piees are beautiful and different every time.
    Using scraps is alot cheaper than buying the diochroic glass too

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