Test Results :: Wheatgrass

CiM Wheatgrass (CiM471) is a medium, misty opal green. It reminds me of Effetre Dark Emerald, but the wispiness gives it more depth.

Wheatgrass doesn't change colour when you reduce it.

Silver is pretty on Wheatgrass. It dispersed all over the surface of the leftmost bead and left a bluish haze all over the surface. In the rightmost bead, you can see I got lots of blue fumey 'glow' from the silver on top of Wheatgrass. In the centre bead, I encased silver foil with Wheatgrass on top of Wheatgrass and you can see that the silver stays true under Wheatgrass, resulting in a reflective green.

Silver Glass is also quite nice on top of Wheatgrass. I got pretty colours from my reduction frit, and a gorgeous red/purple starting strike from my TerraNova2 frit.

On top of Wheatgrass, Copper Green, Opal Yellow, Ivory, and Peace all separate.

When the Wheatgrass is on top, this reaction is only evident in the Copper Green.

Here are some other beads made with Wheatgrass.

Test Results :: Baked Alaska

CiM Baked Alaska (CiM317) is a beautiful pale yellow colour that strikes in the flame. I thought it would be like Effetre Opal Yellow, and it is a very similar colour alone, but the reactions with other colours are quite different.

Baked Alaska is a striking colour, and the longer you work it, the more yellow/peach it becomes.

Baked Alaska really shines here. In the leftmost bead, I applied silver leaf and burnished it in, and then melted it down. I love all the silver that is visible on the surface and how in places, the Baked Alaska has fumed a deep salmony colour. In the rightmost bead, the silver leaf is greyish blue over pink, which I find interesting and unique.

Unlike its Effetre cousin Opal Yellow, Baked Alaska doesn't energize the reactions in silver glass.

When you use Tuxedo on top of Baked Alaska, it doesn't seem like it will be reactive, but if you switch it around so that the Tuxedo is on top you can see that the Baked Alaska separates, with a translucency to the outside of the stringerwork that is sort of milk-mustachey. Baked Alaska does not bleed with Tuxedo the way Opal Yellow does.

When you put Baked Alaska on top of Opal Yellow, it gets an interesting yellow and yellow/green halo around it that is pretty rare. When the Opal Yellow is on top, nothing very interesting happens.

Ivory separates on top of Baked Alaska with a wide, darker centre stripe/dot in the middle of the stringerwork. When the Ivory is on top, nothing happens. I love the way the Ivory separated much better than the greyish dark line I got from Opal Yellow with Ivory.

On top of Peace, Baked Alaska looks oddly green.

Here are some other beads that include some Baked Alaska.

Test Results :: Striking Red

Effetre Striking Red (EFF076) is not my favourite of the three dark, transparent reds that I've tested so far. It's a nice enough colour -- turning a pretty, deep red once you get it to strike and layer it over something significantly lighter. But if you're making small beads and applying this colour in thin layers, you'd better exercise some patience while you make that happen, because striking it that way can be very tricky.

My opinion, for what it is worth, is that CiM Bordello and Effetre Very Cherry are both much easier to strike than this colour. I haven't tested CiM Sangre yet and I am looking forward to seeing how it compares. 

Striking Red doesn't change when you reduce it.

Reactions with silver are pretty typical for Striking Red. It behaved the same way with silver as both Very Cherry and Bordello, crusting up on the bead's surface and turning blue in places.

Striking Red is a surprisingly nice base for silver glass frit. My reducing silver glass frit got interesting, wispy outlines and my TerraNova2 frit got a very pretty starting strike.So, the good news is that if you're not enjoying your stash of Striking Red using it in more traditional ways, you can stick it under your silver glass to interesting effect.

There is almost nothing to report regarding Striking Red and its reactions with my staple colours. There is a bit of separation with Ivory and a more pronounced amount of separation when it's used with Peace.

Here are some other beads made using Striking Red: