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Donna began A Touch of Glass 25 years ago, after earning her BA Fine Arts degree from Goshen College, Indiana in 1978. Her husband and sister joined her shortly thereafter. Donna and Gerry live in the rolling hills of Lancaster County, PA, along with their menagerie of animals which include two Jack Russell Terriers, three cats, three geese, five chickens a miniature donkey named Beau and a sheep named Lucky. Lucky was headed for the butcher's block before he arrived at his new home, and so his name is quite appropriate. Beau and Lucky serve as aesthetic props for the meadow and as beloved family pets. They are very spoiled, and constantly ask for treats and attention.
The Keeners' house and studio are located next to an Amish farm. From their studio windows they watch cows grazing, work horses plowing the fields, and Amish children playing. It is an idyllic setting for creating their jewelry.
A Touch of Glass is comprised solely of Donna, Gerry and Lorene. Donna and Gerry participate in retail shows, and Lorene is in charge of wholesale, customer service, and the many behind the scenes details. They choose to keep the business small as a deliberate lifestyle choice, allowing them to maintain personal contact with their customers. They sell their work at juried crafts exhibitions, glass museum stores and crafts galleries, and derive great pleasure in knowing that each year at Hanukkah and Christmas their jewelry is being given as gifts all over the world.
Product Description
Thank you for your interest in our work. All of our jewelry is cut by hand, and then fired in a kiln to temperatures ranging from 1400 degrees to 1650 degrees Fahrenheit. No molds are used in any of our work. Our original designs are made of quality dichroic glass and a 22K gold process that Donna developed as a result of experimentation.
Dichroic glass is created by placing glass into a dust free vacuum chamber, then vaporizing metal oxides onto the surface of the glass in microscopic layers. The layers filter various rays of the spectrum, while allowing other rays to pass through. The result is this beautiful, shimmering effect.
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