A to Z Preview
A Reference Guide for Lampworkers Who Love Working with Double Helix Silver Glass
Dragon Scale Series
The glasses used in these Dragon Scale Series beads are listed in A to Z.
Do you love silver glass but are not familiar with many of them? Have you wished there were an easier way to find information on each glass especially on test batches? Do you have a stash of silver glass and don't know where to begin? Are you interested in seeing what a glass can do before playing with it? If you answer yes to any of these questions, then A to Z – Double Helix Silver Glass Reference Guide is for you!
A to Z is a reference guide on Double Helix silver glass – both current and past stock colors and its test batches – listed from A to Z for easy reference. In addition, many entries also contain my personal notes and sample beads as well as basic information on how to strike, how to reduce, and how to strike/reduce and encase, plus other bonus materials (see below). For more in-depth exploration, including encasing and working with dual/combination silver glass, please consider taking my Explore the Magic of Silver Glass virtual workshop.
Galaxy Series
The glasses used in these Galaxy Series beads are listed in A to Z.
With so many stock colors, discontinued colors, test batches, and garage-sale colors, figuring out what to expect with these glasses can be daunting. Thus I have put together this Double Helix Silver Glass Reference Guide so you may easily find what you need to help with your silver glass endeavors! This reference will be updated continually but does not include Garage Sale Box colors – only the related-to stock and/or test batches – since there is no way to test all the Garage Sale glasses.
• Each color is listed from A to Z for easy reference
• Each color is linked to its corresponding glass color page on Double Helix site
• My personal notes on all stock colors and many test batches
• Pictures of my sample beads on stock colors and many test batches throughout the guide
• Basic tutorials on striking, reducing and encasing striking and reducing silver glass
• Bonus video demo on Twisties Beads – my Abyss/Torrent Series
• Archive of the sample beads I created for Double Helix annual test batches
• Tips on annealing silver glass
To subscribe, visit hayleytsangsather.com/silverglass/introduction
Ammonite Series
The glasses used in these Ammonite Series beads are listed in A to Z.
If you love Double Helix test batches and/or are lucky enough to snag a Garage Sale Box (these boxes are available periodically at random times), this guide will be invaluable to help you experiment with the glasses. Be mindful that it is not a comprehensive guide for Double Helix is continually releasing new colors and Garage Sale Box often contains unique ones.
Please note: A to Z is a reference guide that lists the silver glasses used in – but does NOT contain step-by-step tutorial on how to create – my Dragon Scale (top image) or Galaxy (bottom image) Series beads shown.
Background
It was pure coincidence that when I started lampworking in 2006, silver glass exploded into the COE104 market the same time with Double Helix and R4/Rocio Silver Colors. As we later learned, R4/Rocio Silver Colors were resellers and the glasses were actually made by boroscilicate glassmakers Northstar (Precision 104) and Trautman (TAG 104) who expanded into the COE 104 silver glass market. Moreover the forum lampworketc.com became the popular social media for beadmakers giving us a platform to play, learn, experiment, share, and discuss together the nuances of these fun but often-challenging glass. Totally the right-place, right-ime deal but being there from the beginning gave me the insight and historical knowledge of how silver glass and its industry evolved.
Class samples from the three Modules of Explore the Magic of Silver Glass virtual workshop: Reducing Intensive, Dual/Combination Explained, and Striking Demystified.
I have taught throughout the United States and worldwide since my first silver glass class in 2008. Pivoted to online teaching during the pandemic and reaching even more students with my first virtual workshop, Explore the Magic of Silver Glass workshop (class bead samples shown in picture). There are currently four self-guided, on-demand classes: ColorPlay, Svetle, Elevate, plus a free Basics course available on the enVision Virtual Workshop Portal.
In 2007 I was asked to be one of Double Helix’s volunteer testers which started my continual journey of experimenting with new silver colors. Learning how to recognize the nuances of each really honed my ability to work the glass and in turn, enabled me to articulate the processes and to share my knowledge with my students.
Since 2010, I have created sample beads for most of Double Helix’s latest test batches showcased at the International Society of Glass Beadmakers (ISGB) annual conference, The Gathering, except when Double Helix didn’t attend in 2017. The on-site conference was paused for two years when it was cancelled at the onset of the pandemic.
I am happy to continue creating and testing colors for Double Helix especially with its expanding into non-silver-glass colors – offering high-quality glass with superb workability and also filling some of the voids in our COE104 color palette.
The A to Z – Double Helix Silver Glass Reference Guide subscription is for the access of A to Z web contents and images with the copyrights remaining with the author. It is for the personal use of the subscriber on this website. The rate is set low so a wider range of audience may benefit from the wealth of information. Please respect the author by not printing the pages, sharing the access, or passing on any of A to Z contents.