The soda lime glass used to create these pieces is handmade and hand rolled. The artist, Jane Tivol, hand-cuts the glass and hand assembles the pieces into the design, The glass contains silica in the form of sand and various natural earth elements including gold, copper, erbium and iron. There are air bubbles and slight variations in the glass, making each piece of art unique. The sheets of glass are first cut and then arranged into the design. This process is similar to cutting and arranging stained glass. The artist fits them together like a puzzle and melt them together in a kiln. The glass is fired to temperatures around 1500 degrees F. To give the flat fired pieces a shape, the artist takes the fused piece and pits it back into the kiln, into a mold for a second firing at a lower temperature, Once the piece is cooled, it is signed and dated, by Jane Tivol. The colorful shiny glass that is used is called dichroic glass. Dichroic Glass is a multi layer coating created by melting quartz crystal and metal oxides. These materials are vaporized with an electron beam gun and the vapor then attaches and condenses onto the surface of the glass forming a crystal structure comprised of as many as 30 layers of these materials, yet the thickness of the total coating is approximately 35 millionths of an inch. The coating that is created is very similar to to a gemstone and by careful control in thickness, different colors are obtained - all the coatings are created using the exact materials. The pieces are food safe, but should not be used in a microwave or put in a dishwasher. Hand washing is recommended for cleaning.