Dichrotic ‘Saphiret Glass’

Dichrotic ‘Saphiret Glass’ looks brown when reflecting light and purple when light shines through. Fred Daden, the Gaffer in the Royal College of Art Glass Department, gave me a piece of this to blow at the RCA, and I made this group of small vases and a tumbler. It is made by mixing molten gold and glass and was much valued by the Victorians. But its production ended when gold got too costly. And now it is sought after.