Titanium
As I'm sure I've mentioned, I use mainly 24k mosaic gold for my mosaic jewelry, which is glass that has 24k gold leaf embedded in it. It is composed of 3 layers: a thick (4-6mm) bottom layer of glass, a layer of gold leaf and then a very thin layer of glass. This top layer is called the cartellina, and is a piece taken from a large mouth blown glass bubble. The layer can be clear, showing the natural tones of the gold, or it can be coloured, creating the vibrant colours that you see in much of my jewelry. The smalti manufacturer Orsoni has created a great short video showing how their coloured mosaic gold is made.
One thing that I find so interesting about this handmade product is that since the glass bubbles are not uniformly thick, you can get different shades and tones of the same colour. One of the most interesting golds is what I've used in this piece: titanium. Yes, the pieces I've used here all came from the same pot of material, Orsoni's titanium gold. I find the variations just fascinating—while many of the pieces come out a grey colour, there are also shades of golden and blue also. Watch me create it here!
My students at my Santorini Mosaic Workshop last week also loved learning about mosaic gold and exploring the various colour variations, some marked like this titanium, some more subtle. More over, they created absolutely lovely work, and it's honestly hard for me to believe that neither had very much mosaic experience.
If you are considering joining me next year in Santorini—and I hope you do—I recommend you take a look soon at the workshops I'm offering and let me know that you're thinking of coming. There is still space in all three retreats, but I've had a LOT of interest, so if I know you're considering coming, I can let you know when space is getting limited.
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