Economy Glass Gems MEDIUM

1/2 lb glass gems with solid color throughout

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SKU: Economy-Glass-Gems-Medium Category: Tags: , , , , , ,

Description

Economy Glass Gems Medium are dome-shaped lumps of colored glass with flat bottoms that can be used as tesserae (tile) in craft projects and mixed-media mosaic. Their shapes are NOT always uniformly circular but are sometimes slightly elliptical. The diameters vary by color and can run anywhere from larger than 1/2 inch to smaller than 3/4 inch depending on the batch. See pictures. Sold by the 1/2 pound.

Economy Glass Gems Medium

  • dome-shaped circular lumps with flat bottoms.
  • size can run anywhere from larger than 1/2 inch to smaller than 3/4 inch. See pics.
  • varies in size and circularity.
  • sold by the 1/2 pound.
  • piece count varies. maybe 50+ as an estimate.

Product Variation

These gems are circular domes of glass, but they vary in size and exact shape. Please do NOT purchase these if you need tightly controlled shapes or sizes. Also, the glass is not optical quality and contains occasional bubbles. We sell these for use as mosaic tile, not covers for photo refrigerator magnets, etc.

Product Coverage

A 1/2-pound bag of glass gems covers approximately 25 square inches, possibly as much as 36 square inches or 1/4 square foot. Glass gems are better used as accents than area coverage because they are circular and can nest together only so tightly. There will always be a larger than desired gap at the juncture between multiple gems.

Compatibility

Glass gems are thicker than most types of glass mosaic tile, which is usually ~1/8 inch thick. The glass gems are about ~3/16 inch thick, but that is approximate and not tightly controlled. The reason to use something like glass gems is precisely BECAUSE you want something that sticks out slightly above the surface of the ordinary tile. This gives the otherwise flat surface of the mosaic an element of texture and dimension, something that can be felt with the hand.

Cutting

Cutting glass gems leaves a sharp edge on an otherwise rounded shape, and for this reason it isn’t commonly done. The sharp edge can be smoothed using the fine side of a marble file, but that only removes the safety issue. Visually, the cut edge will still be sharp compared to the other part of the gem. If you do need to cut the gems, use a mosaic glass cutter.

Use In Mosaic Art

The tops of the glass gems are dome shaped instead of flat surfaces, and this has significant implications for the grouting process. When grouting a mosaic made from glass gems, many novices fail to remove enough grout, leaving most of the glass gem covered. The result is that the finished mosaic appears to be mostly grout with just a little bit of glass peeking out. You have to use your fingertips to remove the grout covering the edges of the gems and make sure that you expose more than just the very tops of the domes.

How To Make Mosaic Art

For more advice on designing your mosaic project or mounting, cutting, and grouting tile, please see our page of Mosaic Frequently Asked Questions or our Mosaic Information Guide, which lists instructional pages described by topic. We also post new articles about making mosaics at our How to Mosaic Blog.

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