Pearl medallions

Glass molded pearl medallions

To create a glass mold for pearl medallions I started by making a clay positive of the pearl arms. I then poured a plaster of Paris mold to the clay positive. Since I did this all at ruby joust I ended up letting the clay get too dry and coming unattached from my board which has some depth issues.  I did 2 two clay positives so that I would have 2 options and 2 chances to destroy the mold. The plaster of paris mold was opened at ruby but I let it dry for several weeks before using it. The mold is treated with graphite before each use

I used borosilicated glass to create the first pearl medallions, borosilicate glass has a COE of 33 and would not have been made in period. I chose to use this glass because it is more forgiving and stronger than the glass used in period. As medallions sometime have a rough life I wanted to make sure that these had the best chance to survive.

The process starts by heating a rod of clear glass in the major flame to create a blob about the same size as the mold.  When the blob is heated evenly but not boiling then I put the blob in the mold and flatten the back with a spoon that I use a marver.  I then remove the medallion from the mold and flash or warm it back up. I then make the bail or loop for the string by melting and pulling the medallion of the glass rod, leaving a bit of the rod to fold over into a loop. I do most of this using long tweezers.  I then place the medallion in a fiber blanket while I change the torch to the minor burner. Once the minor burner is tuned I then pick up the clear medallion with tweezers and start to apply the blue and white color elements. The final product is cooled in fiber blanket to anneal.

The blue and white glass medallions that I made this summer are more period as clear glass was hard to get in period it normally had some impurities that cause a color. Though clearish glass was the normal for drinking vessels.  With talking to many people most preferred the look of the clear glass with blue and white elements over the blue glass medallions. Since ultimately SCA medallions are modern thing and treasured by many I have opted to make the ones most people preferred. Though the one I wear is all blue.

I tried to use the mold with furnace glass once and destroyed one of the pearls since the furnace glass cooled quicker than I would like I was un able to get the pearl out of the mold without destroying the mold and without a loop for hanging.

The pictures in the page were all taken in the winter for documentation sake since the first batch of medallions where made as a surprise for new pearl.