The value of handmade

One of my cohorts received a message asking him to list his work on eBay for 99 cents, because that’s where she buys all of her handmade jewelry.

Most of us with some sense left in us were taken aback.

But hey, much as I like to evangelize for borosilicate (have you tried it yet?!??!) and glass in general, I most certainly see the value in educating the consumer about why a 2″x2″ glass pendant costs $25.00 and up, and more importantly why it should.

First off, go grab a pickle jar from the fridge.   Have a good look at it, now envision it as a pendant.

Yeah, that’s not the way we do it either.

It’s not as easy as picking up a discarded bottle from the side of the road, waving it in the flame a few times and putting it in a pretty white box.   Don’t get me wrong, you could use that glass, and in many cultures, this is precisely how raw materials are obtained to make glass art.  I know of a talented artist here in the US named Bronwen Heilman that makes some pretty awesome fused beads out of liquor bottles.  But ultimately, though good for the Earth, this manner of recycling is extraordinarily labor intensive and not the way most lamp workers do it.   I’ll explain that process in another post.

The way many, if not most, do it, is to start with raw glass rods.   These days we can order them in a wide array of colors that mean we don’t have to mix color ourselves anymore, but we can also have a more consistent experience working with the glass, and because of good quality control, we can usually tell what glasses will safely mix together and not crack.   There are types of glass that you can buy for about $6.00 a pound.   Most of the glass I use in my studio runs between $25-120 a pound.  That’s right, $120 per pound.   Right away, you can see that 99 cents isn’t going to cut it.

“Whoa, hold on…there isn’t a pound of glass in that there purty glass rock, what gives?”

No, you’re right, in a pendant there’s probably $2.00 worth at most.   So where’s the rest of the cost?

Unlike some lesser developed countries that mass produce the 99 cent trinkets, we have higher tool and equipment costs.

We have adequate ventilation to remove noxious fumes produced when the glass is in the flame, and from the flame itself.

We have adequate safety equipment to make sure we’re taking good care of our eyes so that we can keep producing such pretty items.  For example, the specialized protective glasses I wear cost around $300.00.

Shade 5 protective eyewear

I saw pictures of one factory where it looked like the workers were wearing sunglasses, if that.

Our pieces are properly annealed to remove stress in the glass.  This involves the use of large hotboxes called kilns.   Mine retails for about $800.00  (GMF1oF).  This takes time and electricity to run the kiln.

The torches used run from a low end $45.00 for a MAPP gas only torch, usable for soft glass, to over $7,000.00 for one of the high end torches that can shoot a flame that’s the width of my arm.

My torch

Mine’s closer to the $500.00 end of the scale.

At this point you see there’s a mountain of expensive equipment and materials behind every piece of glass.   In addition to all of that, we have the usual business costs of advertising, listing fees, utility and space costs, etc.

Lastly, there’s a small margin added in for our skill and our time.  Perhaps as our names grow in the marketplace the prices may grow along with it, but for most artisans, this is why our carefully made glass doesn’t sell for 99 cents, nor should any of it.

I assure you, there are extraordinarily few people getting rich off of their glass.   Most who do it full time eek out a living and a little extra, but they do it because they love the craft.   They love working for themselves.   They’d like to be rich, but that’s not the driving force.

So when you pick up a pendant at Michaels or Wal-mart, ask yourself how it is that that piece of glass, made by someone’s hands in a factory, can be made by another human being, be shipped all the way across the world, and still only cost you $1.98.  Imagine the quality of life you’re creating by supporting that low price.

And finally, if you see one of us out at a street festival peddling our wares, please be courteous and don’t pick up the piece, sniff and say “I can get these for $2.00″.

Remember that the person in front of you made that.  Take the time to ask questions, the type of glass, how long it took, inspirations, reasons for color choices, favorite torch, anything.   We’re people too, we love to talk about our work.  Don’t forget that behind that small bit of beauty, that one of a kind sculpture in your hand, is a long process of discovery and learning, all culminating in what you’re holding in your hand.

It’s a little piece of the artist, value it appropriately.