Dichroic Glass Jewelry Dates Back To The 1950's

Dichroic glass jewelry is at least partly the result of work the innovative defense contractors who worked for NASA conducted.  They were charged with developing a material that could protect the astronauts from cosmic radiation and other harmful rays.  This high-tech material was a golden sheen placed on the face shield and used as an optical filter.  Dichroic glass was born and the fine jewelry we see today is an outgrowth of this material.

The actual definition of dichroic glass comes from a Greek word "di" for two and "chroma" for color.  So, dichroic literally means two colored glass.  One of the most beautiful features of dichroic glass jewelry is the colorful designs that the artist creates.

Dichroic glass appears to have many colors, and when viewed from different angles, the numbers of colors seem to change and multiply.   This is one feature of dichroic glass that makes it so appealing to use in jewelry making.  One pendant can seem to change color when worn with different colors and adds to its versatility.

When using dochroic glass in jewelry making, it will offer an opal-like depth of color and a sparkling radiance few other materials can.  Although dichroic glass in and of itself is beautiful, without an artist's design and ability to use color and shape, the dichroic glass jewelry could be just another attempt at art.  The true dichroic glass jewelry artist is skilled and blessed with that special something that allows them to deliver a true wearable piece of art.