Art Glass

Unlike common window glass, which is perfectly smooth and flawless, art glass seeks visual character through aesthetic "imperfections". These characteristics mimic the handmade sheet glass of centuries past. They come in the form of textural waves and striations, random bubbles and a variety of other natural effects. Art glass achieves its personality through these peculiarities, and no two sheets are ever identical.

Iridescent Glass

Many Spectrum glasses are currently available with an Iridescent surface. At temperatures upward of 1000 degrees, a remarkably uniform, micro-thin layer of metallic crystal is flash-fired to the glass surface, creating a radiant exhibition of jewel-like colour across the sheet. Spectrum Iridescent is vintage Mother of Pearl, an art glass favourite since the turn of the century. One of the intriguing fascinations of art glass is its ever changing appearance in varying light conditions.

Wispy Opalescents

Wispy Opalescents are composed of 3/4 cathedral glass colour and 1/4 opaque white glass. The white opal is hand-ladled into a moving stream of cathedral colour. The two glasses are then stirred together by hand just before the sheet is formed.

Translucent Opals

The translucent Opals are 50-50 cathedral colour and white opal glass. The larger proportion of opaque white reduces light transmission and increases surface reflection. Some translucents involve multiple cathedral colours with white and others use coloured opals to achieve their individual character.

Spectrum Waterglass®

Spectrum Waterglass® is a natural surface texture created by stretching the hot glass sheet while it is still in a pliable state. The result is gentle, rolling waves that resemble the surface of a lake or stream. The stretching process also renders a highly pristine surface and a slightly narrower sheet. Though many imitators have tried, mechanically-rolled patterns simply can not approach the subtle, delicate nature of the true Waterglass texture.