My last blog post was about firing. Once the kiln cools and I open it up the glass is still hot. I slide the pieces off onto a towel to cool enough to handle. I take the kiln bottom outside and blow off the residual kiln paper. I will usually have a large number of glass pieces after firing for several hours. I put the cool glass pieces in a plastic colander and wash them in the bathroom sink. The backs will have some white paper residue that needs to be rinsed away before findings are attached. The colander keeps the little pieces of glass from slipping into the drain. Once washed I let them dry and then separate them into groups – post earrings, pendants, wire earrings, barrettes – and put them into a plastic tray with compartments. My last step in making dichroic fused glass jewelry will be to glue the individual glass pieces to the jewelry findings but that will have to wait till my next post.

Till then may your days be filled with beauty. And of course, glorious beautiful jewelry!