Designer Info:

Nathalie, born in France, is the creative force behind Louise Ashton Design. After studying glass design in London (UK), she began experimenting with different techniques whilst creating her own glass items, and soon developed a particular passion for fusing.
Her first creations were originally intended as unique projects; one piece was exhibited at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in a special show entitled "Inspired by …". After settling in the US, Nathalie enrolled at the Studio, in Corning (NJ) in order to perfect her skills. She currently lives in the United Kingdom, where she makes all of her jewellery, emphasizing her flair for color, quality and style.

Jewellery Info:

What are fusing and slumping ?

Glass fusing is the process of using a kiln to join together pieces of glass. If you apply heat to glass, it will soften.  If you continue to apply heat, the glass will become more fluid and flow together.  Two or more pieces of glass will stick (or "fuse") to each other.  When the right kind of glass is heated and then cooled properly, the resulting fused glass piece will be solid and unbroken.

Many people also use the word "fusing" to include bending and shaping glass using the heat of a kiln. This manipulation can take many forms, but the most common is "slumping," where a mold is used to cause already fused glass to take on the shape of a bowl, a plate, or similar object.

Another category of warm glass work which requires a kiln involves the more elaborate use of molds to form glass into more complex shapes.  Virtually any shape that can be formed in clay or wax can also be made in glass.  These more advanced kiln forming processes include kiln casting (melting glass into a mold inside a kiln, pate de verre (forming shapes by heating a "paste of glass" inside the kiln), and glass casting (pouring molten glass into a mold). 

What is Dichroic Glass ? 

"Dichroic" (D. in the web pages) is defined as the property of having more than one color, especially when viewed from different angles. Dichroic glass is a high-tech spin-off of the space industry. Thin layers of metallic oxides, such as titanium, silicon, and magnesium are deposited upon the surface of the glass in a high temperature, vacuum furnace. The metallic oxides are vaporized by an electron beam,  and the rotating glass target is evenly coated with many thin layers. The resulting color is determined by the individual oxide compositions.

The glass must rotate to achieve a uniform coating. This process causes the glass to become a partial mirror by allowing only a select narrow band of light to transmit; other rays are rejected through reflection and absorption.

Dichroic coatings transmit certain wavelengths of light, while reflecting others, thus creating an interference-effect similar to the iridescence observed in Nature's fire opal, dragonfly wings and hummingbird feathers. The transmitted color is different than the reflected color, and a third color is produced by viewing the dichroic piece at a 45^o angle. The resulting colors are pure, saturated, single wavelengths of light, that appear to originate from within the dichroic piece.