This piece includes Fuming – a process where fine (.999 pure) silver is held into a high oxidizing flame to release “fumes”. These fumes are captured by molten glass using different techniques to create awesome color change effects.
Silver gives a yellow hue to most transparent glass and changes color with use. Dark glass will reflect the silver as colors – Some will intensify – others/opaque colors such as black – will not appear to change as they are already very dark. the silver creates a sort of “oil in water” look on these pieces.
This is an actively growing page to provide immediate info regarding exposure to silver such as that used in fuming techniques on Happy Hollow Glass.
I am currently researching all known risks of silver exposure to provide one place for this information. Not only is this valuable for piece of mind to my customers but also to fellow glass artist that risk inhalation of the actual silver fumes and other particulates. (ALWAYS USE SUPERIOR VENTILATION!)
Quick Facts:
Is Silver Harmful to Humans?
Unlike other “essential” elements such as calcium, human bodies don’t need silver to function. Though silver was once used in medical applications, modern substitutes have largely superceded these uses, and there would be no ill health effects from going through life without ever contacting silver.This does not happen, however. Trace amounts of silver are in the bodies of all humans and animals. We normally take in between 70 and 88 micrograms of silver a day, half of that amount from our diet. Humans have evolved with efficient methods of dealing with that intake, however. Over 99 percent is readily excreted from the body.
Unlike other metals such as lead and mercury, silver is not toxic to humans and is not known to cause cancer, reproductive or neurological damage, or other chronic adverse effects. Nor has normal day-to-day contact with solid silver coins, spoons or bowls been found to affect human health. This is because solid silver is almost completely biologically inert, and even if ingested, would pass through the human body without being absorbed into tissues.
Silver gives a yellow hue to most transparent glass and changes color with use. Dark glass will reflect the silver as colors – Some will intensify – others/opaque colors such as black – will not appear to change as they are already very dark. the silver creates a sort of “oil in water” look on these pieces.
