This vintage Gibson piece of dishware is from the 1980s. The blue jay sits regally upon a pine bough. The ornament is subtly framed with a lead-free solder that has been lightly textured and treated with a gunmetal patina. The ornament hangs from a deep teal vintage glass bead strand.
The process of creating an ornament from vintage or antique dishware starts with a plate, cup, saucer, bowl, etc. All of the ornaments are made from vintage pieces allowing me to give them a second life. Hopefully, they will be around to enjoy many more holidays! Once I isolate the section to be used, then I start with a wet saw to cut it down to size. The next step is using glass cutting tools to form the rough shape. From there I use a wet grinder (used with stained glass art) to smooth the edges and finalize the shape. Copper foil is applied to the edges and burnished smooth. Lead-free soft solder is applied using an iron set at about 730 Degrees Fahrenheit. The bail is added which is generally hand formed and sized individually for each piece. Once framed, then the decorative dots, texture stamping, wires, charms or patina can be added. After that, it is determining how it will hang and hand polishing to a high shine! Enjoy!
