Glossary

Ambrosia Wood. This unique wood is harvested from a tree infected with Ambrosia fungus. The fungus alters the woods appearance... the reason this wood is prized by many woodworking artisans.

Annealing. Annealing is the process of heating, and then slowly cooling glass to improve durability by relieving internal stresses.

Bolo. Lariat with multiple strands.

Burl Wood. Burl wood comes from a fast-growing, abnormal growth that occurs in some trees, often the result of damage or stress such as fungal or bug attack. Burl wood is prized by artists for its unique and beautiful wood-grain patterns.

Fused Glass. The glass-working technique know as "fusing" involves melting pieces of glass and/or crushed glass shards (known as "frit") together in a kiln at tempatures in excess of 1465º F to form a new piece of glass.

Garlic Keeper. A garlic keeper provides safe and healthy storage for full heads and cloves of garlic. Garlic does not store well in warm, humid, sunlight environments. The keeper provides dark, cool, well ventilated storage, ensuring weeks or fresh, crisp garlic. Garlic keepers are also useful for storing shallots and ginger.

Gold Fill. Gold Filled (or Gold Overlay) jewelry is made by applying heat and pressure in order to bond a layer of gold to a metal, such as brass. The resulting layer of gold is significantly thicker than that of the gold plating process.

Ikebana. The Japanese art of flower arrangement. The container hosting the arrangement is also refereed to as an Ikebana. Japanese flower arrangement differs from western arrangements in that they are typically based on twigs and leaves but limit the number of blooming flowers to create a balanced composition.

Labradorite. A mineral gemstone exhibiting varying levels of iridescence, an optical phenomenon in which hue changes with the angle from which a surface is viewed. It it is often used to develop imagination, enthusiasm, and to increase clarity during meditation.

Lampworking. Also called torchworking or flameworking, lampworking involves using a torch to melt the glass while it is blown or shaped. It is an ancient art that blossomed in Murano, Italy in the 1300's and has been popular since.

Lariat. 1.) The hoop at the end of a single strand through which the opposing end can be passed through and used to fasten the strand. 2.) The general term for single strand necklace fastened around the neck by a hoop that is located on one end.

Merino. Merino – A breed of sheep prized for their high quality wool. They are excellent foreger's and adapt well to change. Fine Merino wool is finely crimped and very soft.

Opal. A minerloid gem. Althought opal is not a crystalline gemstone, it exhibits sutructural clustering. Each structural pocket pocket produces a different color with a different intensity depending on the angle from which a viewer sees it. These multicolored pockets give opal a truly beautiful and mystic look. Opal is the traditional birthstone of the month of October.

Raku glazing process. A lead free glaze is applied to ceramic bisque ware that is place in a kiln and fired until it glows orange (about 1700º F). The glowing piece is pulled from the kiln and immersed in dry leaves, sawdust or newspaper inside a metal trash can with the lid on to reduce the oxygen flow. The glazed product resulting can have a metallic luster, a subtle iridescence and sandy texture or a smooth crackle finish. Black areas occur where no glaze was applied.

Slumping. The glass-working technique known as "slumping" refers to placing a piece of glass over a ceramic or metal mold and heating the glass (to around 1250º F) until it softens and forms to the mold.

Spalted Wood. Spalting is a byproduct of the early stages of the rotting process and is cause by an array of mold and fungi invading the wood. When harvested at the right time, spalted wood is widely used by woodworkers for its unique beauty.