A Touch of Glass

Kathleen Plate’s interest in glass started when she was young, watching her mother dabble in stained-glass works. These days Plate, of Smart Glass Jewelry in Atlanta, makes her jewelry using glass nuggets in a time-consuming process.

Plate says she loves working with glass. “Glass has a mind of its own; you have to be able to feel how it’s going to react. It’s very intuitive,” she says.

To make her jewelry, Plate attaches metals onto glass with a soldering iron. She admits it can get dangerous, but she has learned to work with the technique. “You learn early not to try and catch the soldering iron if you drop it,” Plate says, laughing.

1: A high-quality glass nugget (delivered by manufacturer) is selected, washed and cleaned.

2: A thin piece of copper foil is wrapped around the glass.

3: The copper is fused to the glass using high heat from a soldering iron.

4: Copper sticks to the glass, creating a base for a little piece of silver.

5: The silver is then shaped, finished and polished.

6: After the final touches, the jewelry is ready to wear.

Kasia Dawidowska

Dawidowska writes frequently for both trade and consumer magazines. She can be reached at kasia76@gmail.com.