Etching and Jewels
Wine glasses and really glasses of all sorts can be personalized by etching or by paint or by beading or you can even bejewel one. When a wine glass is personalized it can be a beautiful addition to your special occasion dining set or it can be a wonderful and very memorable wedding, bridal shower or housewarming gift.
Various companies offer these customized wine glasses already decorated. However, there are many ways one can make personalized wine glasses at home with very little experience. Best of all, it can also be done with very little effort or mess. One does not have to be an experienced artist to make stunning customized wine glasses.
First, you will need stemware. If you are new to the technique, perhaps you should consider starting with a less expensive glass. When you gain more confidence and experience you can move up to the more expensive stemware.
This article will focus on adding jewels to stemware to make personalized wine glasses. First, choose the wine glass you wish to decorate. Next, obtain some silicone as the sticking agent. If you have never worked with decorating glass, you may be surprised to know that the best and easiest place to find silicone might be your local pet store.
Sealant
Aquarium glass needs sealant and in the past several years, commercial grade sealant has become available for use at home for fish aquariums. This glue is easy to apply and quite affordable.
- A few things to note about sealant:
- Can be saltwater or freshwater
- Will start to become very sticky in 5 minutes
- Will form complete hold in 24 hours
- Should have twist nozzle for ease of use
Next lay out the “jewels” or other beading you will be using to decorate your glasses. Find Latex gloves. The seal is not something you want to have in contact with your hands and you will have better control of the beads with gloves.
Design
Some folks like to draw out a pattern before proceeding with the actual decoration. To do this, simply take a blank paper and sketch out the surface are design you will be working with. Of course the area will differ depending on the type of wine glass you are decorating. Keep in mind stemmed and stemless wine glasses may differ even in the same variety of glass.
Once you have the area, sketch out what jewels you want where on the glass. If you are comfortable with freestyle or plan to bejewel the entire glass, then a sketched pattern in advance is likely not necessary.
When you have decided on the design, put on the gloves and spread the sealant over the exterior of the glass. Carefully place the jewels into the sealant. Hold the jewel a moment to make it stick, but try to move somewhat quickly if you think you might want to make adjustments as the sealant will be quite solid within approximately 5 minutes. Once you have placed all the beads or jewels on the glass, set the stemware in a dry area of your home, somewhere it will remain undisturbed for at least 24 hours. Remember when you are placing items near the rim that the user will have their lips in that area, if you decorate that high on the glass, make sure the items are smooth to the touch. Cheers!