What is “Fused” Glass?

Fused glass is a term used to describe the melting of separate glass pieces by way of being fired, or heat-processed, in a kiln at high temperatures. The heat causes the glass pieces to melt, thus creating one unified piece. (Temperature applications will vary to  reach desired effects.)

Basic Techniques

Fused: Two or more pieces of glass are placed in the kiln and heated until they fuse together into a single piece.

Slumped: Glass is placed over a mold and heated until it slumps into (or drapes over) the shape.

Cast: The glass is melted so that it flows into a mold. (Cast glass objects are typically thick and dimensional.)

What is dichroic?:

The word “dichroic”, pronounced Dye-Cro-Ick, is derived from two Greek roots, “di” for two and “chroma” for color. So “dichroic” literally means “two-colored.”

You may hear dichroic glass referred to as “dichro” for short or even as “chameleon glass”. Another misconception is that dichroic glass is the same as fused glass or refers to the entire fused glass movement. Though fused glass or warm glass may incorporate dichroic glass elements; doing so is not a requirement. The most distinctive feature of dichroic glass is that it seems to have more than one color, especially when viewed from different angles.

 
Dichroic Glass Tile
 

 
Dichroic Glass Tiles and Plain Black Tiles