I have just made a simple set of blue lentils, using different shades of blue. In this set I used Halong Bay (possibly for the first time) on one bead and effetre dark aqua on another. Blow me, I couldnt tell the difference when they came out the kiln, or when etched. Halong Bay is £9.75 a quarter pound while dark turquoise is £5.50 a half pound, which means the Halong Bead is approximately 4 times the cost of the aqua bead. Did I do something wrong which made them look the same? Have I misfiled my glass and confused myself?
Possibly, but I suspect that we are all lured by the imaginative and sumptiousness sounds of the CiM range, while lets face it, the effetre names are mostly lacking in frills and just describe the colour. CiM seem to carry a broader range of colours, but with some colours are we simply paying extra for a glamourous name which then carries forward to an adventurous and glamourous sounding bead description? Has anyone else found 'matches' between glass makes with large price differences? Also, CiM rods often have a lovely silky sheen which (for me) vanishes as soon as I melt it, are we lured by the possibility of a sexy satin sheen finish too?
Dont get me wrong, I do like CiM, but this did get me thinking about the glass names and CiMs successful marketing.
It is a very interesting point. Names do matter, and evocative ones definitely help to sell whatever the product. I know the owner of a local hamper company who swears that their products shifted so well last Christmas because of the names they were given! (The products were good too, but the names added that extra 'zing').
I do find it hard to resist a lot of the sexier sounding boro rods, but luckily most of them live up to the name! At the end of the day, I think that however good the name is, it needs to be backed up by the product. If you try something and find it not that special then a good name isn't going to make you buy it twice.
Hmm, halong bay should look different from dark aqua. Halong bay's an opal - you can see it on CiM's site here (http://www.creationismessy.com/color.aspx?id=13). It'll react differently too, I bet.
CiM pulsar is very like dark aqua, but is also priced similarly.
Aside from that, I do love CiM's colour names! It makes a nice difference from pale blue, light blue, medium blue, dark blue type of naming, functional though those are ;D
In my experience Halong Bay will not etch, so I suspect you got it muddled up.
Knowing me, I am muddled, will try it again next time I'm on the torch. I don't have any pulsar so it cant be that.
yes, I thought halong bay was a pale bluey opal, not a transparent turquoise?
it could possibly have come to you mislabelled?
alot of the cims are similar to effetre colours, one batch of creamsicle I had could only be identified as CIM by the look of the rod, couldn't see the difference in a finished bead (now the batches of both are different and I don't like either of them grr!) I cannot tell the difference between pulsar and effetre dark aqua
on the other hand atlantis and rainforest...they are yummy colours that nothing else looks like...I just wish I could make things in them that worked, they are busy hating me right now!
I think I was swayed by the names to begin with but I do find the glass so much nicer to use than effetre which is why I have stuck with it. The CiM colours I use don't really compare to effetre other than freman which is similar to light turquoise (no I'm not counting peace and Tuxedo there blacks black and whites white.)
Maybe you should just look at the part numbers 519221 is never going to be sexy (and I'm from a maths background and very much like numbers ::) )
On a serious note though it is worth paying attention to the part numbers as the names of the glass change and the part numbers don't... I have been caught out by that a few times.
Baby blue any one?
I have noticed that certain CIM colours are very similar to effetre but several times the price - count von Count and eff trans lilac (not sure what the code is but I really cannot tell the difference). Elphaba and eff lime green - very, very similar.
I used Eff cool laguna today which seemed very similar to Reichenbach mystic blue. Not sure of the price difference and maybe I was using it wrongly but it makes you think!!
I had a conversation with a student today which was on much the same lines. There are definitely some CIM colours which seem to me to be almost exactly the same as some Effetre ones - Pulsar being the obvious choice. In fact - Pulsar's not IMO even as good as the Effetre dark Aqua - you get loads of those little sparks which end in pits. I know exactly where I am with Effetre - Lime Green, White, Yellow......does exactly wot it says on the tin.
I just think that names like "Grumpy Bear" and "Unique Adamantium" are actually annoying. But then, I'm a bit of an old fuddy duddy........ ;)
Oh I wouldn't say that Sal! I think some of the colours of CIM and Effetre are very similar, so I am careful now about what I buy. I have the Effetre Dark Aqua and the Lime green and they are great. I do love CIM but I think one can be swayed by the names they give them, good advertising ploy ~I think lol
I notice no one has called their glass 'green poo', I feel this is an oversight and could name a few contenders for the title!
Quote from: Krysia on May 03, 2011, 04:12:55 PM
Maybe you should just look at the part numbers 519221 is never going to be sexy (and I'm from a maths background and very much like numbers ::) )
I'm sure 519221 is very sexy, if you happen to be 519367 (or some other number).
Quote from: Blue Box Studio on May 17, 2011, 11:14:13 PM
I notice no one has called their glass 'green poo', I feel this is an oversight and could name a few contenders for the title!
;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Blue Box Studio on May 17, 2011, 11:14:13 PM
Quote from: Krysia on May 03, 2011, 04:12:55 PM
Maybe you should just look at the part numbers 519221 is never going to be sexy (and I'm from a maths background and very much like numbers ::) )
I'm sure 519221 is very sexy, if you happen to be 519367 (or some other number).
Maybe that's the answer you need to match make the glass ;)
It has to be said that I have samples of all the glass that I have made up into beads. I know some of you are rolling you eyes. I have found it very useful to learn about what the different glasses do and also when people say, I'd like a red bead, to then work out which red the want. (Mum is most particular about her reds) I have them on little tags and because when I started I was running out of tags I doubled them up. I don't put two glasses from the same manufacturer and that turned out to be a good idea as with out knowing beforehand you wouldn't know that grumpy bear was blue and if it's on a cord with another colour how would you tell the difference?
I love CIM. I don't think there are many colours that are in the Effetre range and often those that are similar behave very differently. Peace is a stable white, Hades reacts, Tuxedo is a good solid black, and as for crocus, peacock, kryptonite and atlantis, I've not seen anything like them anywhere else.
Some of the CIM is a pretty original colour and priced very competitively. Clockwork for one.
Can you tell I'm a fan?
No Shirley I feel you need to tell us more ;)
There is something lovely about working with CiM And I just Love Adamantium.
And sangre is the best red!
I love crocus,peacock, kryptonite and Atlantis too. Nothing like them in Effetre i feel. I don't have any Atlantis, I did not succumb to temptation, lol nor did i buy Appletini or the others. lol
Quote from: Shirley on May 18, 2011, 02:54:26 PM
And sangre is the best red!
I am making a spacer necklace for a friend who is red mad, the question is will I make one for myself at the same time?
Even with testing and keeping samples (I used to do this) when you get a new batch - they are not always the same & I swear my latest batch of Gaia is just plain old Eff. Emerald Green (I'll be b******d if I can get much of a reaction out of it)! & it seems to crack :(
Having said that I think Tuxedo is a good alternative for Intense Black - so maybe it can be useful to get similar colours in different ranges esp.if you're desperate and your old fave is out of stock. :)
I suspect there may also be some chemical differences which could affect the price?
Shelia
Quote from: Yellow friend on May 18, 2011, 03:45:11 PM
I suspect there may also be some chemical differences which could affect the price?
Shelia
Most likely even if it's the same chemical there could be supply issues dependent on where the glass is made
Quote from: Yellow friend on May 18, 2011, 03:45:11 PM
Even with testing and keeping samples (I used to do this) when you get a new batch - they are not always the same & I swear my latest batch of Gaia is just plain old Eff. Emerald Green (I'll be b******d if I can get much of a reaction out of it)! & it seems to crack :(
Having said that I think Tuxedo is a good alternative for Intense Black - so maybe it can be useful to get similar colours in different ranges esp.if you're desperate and your old fave is out of stock. :)
I suspect there may also be some chemical differences which could affect the price?
Shelia
Tuxedo doesn't etch though...I found that out the worst possible way :-\
Good to know :) Could maybe use that as a design feature.
Shelia
Tuxedo doesn't etch... :o now that's just opened up a world of possibilities.... I was thinking of doing some selective etching on black bases and now I've just saved no end of time masking off the black.
Quote from: Krysia on May 03, 2011, 04:12:55 PM
Baby blue any one?
Transparent light aqua please ;)
Re CIM Elphaba and Eff Lime Green: lime swallows any other colour dots you put on top of it, but Elphaba plays nicely with others.
I love CIM's names, they definitely do it for me - who can resist Heffalump, Dirty Martini and Grumpy Bear? (Well, Sal can, but who else?... ;D)
I love the Double Helix and TAG names too - must be my childhood love of mythology - Aurae, Zeus & Psyche give me goose bumps!
Yes I love the Double Helix and TAG names as well! :)
Well, as I said I think the CIM names are just plain silly and not actually very descriptive (if I ordered Grumpy Bear, then I damn well want one to arrive....!).
I don't dislike the Double Helix names so much. But I don't actually like them because I don't know how to pronounce them. And then I look stupit. And yes, I have mispronounced Aurae as "Areolae" on more than one occasion.
But here's a question: Why is CIM glass - which is American but actually made in China, more expensive than Effetre, which is Italian, and made in the not-exactly-cheap little island of Murano? ???
Quote from: Redhotsal on May 18, 2011, 11:00:31 PM
But here's a question: Why is CIM glass - which is American but actually made in China, more expensive than Effetre, which is Italian, and made in the not-exactly-cheap little island of Murano? ???
Good point! I was thinking that because it has to come all the way from (dunno? China then the US?) then that would explain why some of it is so expensive.
I love CIM but I don't like the massive variations in price between different colours.
I'd always thought that CIM was more expensive because it comes from China via the US and so incurs a lot of extra handling costs.
But CIM isn't cheap for the US market either and they also have to import Effetre, so if I think harder about it I'm not sure this isn't very logical. It seems even less logical when you consider "Asian boro", which comes from China and is much cheaper than the equivalent US made colour.
Confused yet!!! ??? I am ::) :D
Quote from: Redhotsal on May 18, 2011, 11:00:31 PM
if I ordered Grumpy Bear, then I damn well want one to arrive....!
I have one sitting downstairs but I'll never manage to get him (my Boss) in the post and he's probably going to stop being grumpy once he's out the office and got a beer in his mitts.
Quote from: Lush! on May 18, 2011, 08:34:30 PM
Quote from: Krysia on May 03, 2011, 04:12:55 PM
Baby blue any one?
Transparent light aqua please ;)
Ha ha ha, and that is why I stick with the part numbers for Effetre. Pea/Nile Or Lime... Which name applies to those two glasses?
I didn't realise that CiM was American I just assumed it was Chinese ::) I thought we got it direct from china too!?! Doh!
I wonder..... playing devil's advocate here....
What about a new range called Eastern Inspirations Glass with some fabulous pinks in it, including Jaipur Rose, Sumptuous Saree and Indian Sunset. Other colours include Sultan's Promise, Heat and Dust and the incomparable Assam Tea.
I think it all sounds much more exotic than Devardi.
I always thought it was because CiM is hand pulled and effetre (other than the handpulled ones which are about the same price as the CiM) is machine pulled.
Certainly makes sense to think effetre has the more manpower and machinery ergo cheaper because they can produce more on mass.
I was never confused.
And yes those glasses sound nice but I want to SEE the colours first. Taken me ages to find a nice pink for my pallet and finally settled on opal raspberry.
I've just got some opal raspberry - does it cook as yummy as it looks raw?
Oh yes, opal raspberry is lovely in the rod, in the flame and in the bead. Definitely in my top 5. :)
My current infatuation is with CiM Lapis. It's so creamy smooth to use - and a glorious colour. I just want to lick it off the mandrel!
Quote from: LilLizaJane on May 19, 2011, 02:51:36 PM
My current infatuation is with CiM Lapis. It's so creamy smooth to use - and a glorious colour. I just want to lick it off the mandrel!
Um. Don't? :D
OK. I won't. But it's o so tempting ... But then, if I did - how could I taste tonight's chocolate treat? I must remember my priorities. ;D
Quote from: awrylemming on May 19, 2011, 01:39:41 PM
Oh yes, opal raspberry is lovely in the rod, in the flame and in the bead. Definitely in my top 5. :)
I tried it at Colette's so had to have some. Not a cheap glass either but Oh so pretty and the colour is far more important than the price.
Quote from: LilLizaJane on May 19, 2011, 02:51:36 PM
My current infatuation is with CiM Lapis. It's so creamy smooth to use - and a glorious colour. I just want to lick it off the mandrel!
Glass lollipops.. so you can suck on the cool glass :)
Don't know about 'lick', but I've had the urge to touch the molten glass to see if it's sticky or smooth, how soft it is and so on. Don't look horrified I'm able to keep that urge battened down well, but still, what does it feel like (other than OW!)......
Weirdly enough I am absolutely convinced I can smell honey when using Vetrofond Odd Honey (just off to check that is its name - honey something anyway)
Honey crunch - that's the name.
Quote from: Magpie on May 19, 2011, 06:24:41 PM
Don't know about 'lick', but I've had the urge to touch the molten glass to see if it's sticky or smooth, how soft it is and so on. Don't look horrified I'm able to keep that urge battened down well, but still, what does it feel like (other than OW!)......
On the plus side it's not something you'll do twice.
I keep burning opal rose/raspberry, very annoying as I need to make a load of spacers out of it tomorrow.
I love CiM Lapis too.
The smell of molten glass is lovely, first bead of a session I do breath in deeply.
Like the same feeling you get when you smell a fresh loaf in the oven.
Quote from: ScarletLeonard on May 19, 2011, 10:21:01 PM
The smell of molten glass is lovely, first bead of a session I do breath in deeply.
Like the same feeling you get when you smell a fresh loaf in the oven.
Hmmm.....the only smell I get is carbon dioxide........
Still, that's how my oven smells too so perhaps I am olfactorily challenged. :(
Hmm, I can't smell anything either - unless I'm using Vetrofond Odd Honey Crunch :P which I never use because it is frit on a stick!!!
you've just reminded me - I walked away from some crushed honeycomb cheese cake last night!?! Gaud, you can tell I was tired ::)
I'm getting used to the smell of singed flesh and melted carpet.
is that better or worse then burning plastic and wood ;D
mmm...aroma of melted cz/frit/murrini baggies...nice! not.
Quote from: MadelineBunyan on May 20, 2011, 02:11:30 PM
mmm...aroma of melted cz/frit/murrini baggies...nice! not.
I've done that before... usually a stringer I have just pulled ends up on it.
Quote from: Redhotsal on May 19, 2011, 11:30:13 PM
Quote from: ScarletLeonard on May 19, 2011, 10:21:01 PM
The smell of molten glass is lovely, first bead of a session I do breath in deeply.
Like the same feeling you get when you smell a fresh loaf in the oven.
Hmmm.....the only smell I get is carbon dioxide........
Still, that's how my oven smells too so perhaps I am olfactorily challenged. :(
Either that or you need someone to come look at your oven fast.
I do have a sensitive nose though, I go by smell when it comes to cooking I can tell if anything is off even slightly. Hubby asked me why I chucked his soap out the other day....well because it didn't smell like soap anymore so it had obviously gone off....
yep - can't smell much at all. It's a whole world lost to me. All perfumes smell the same, rarely can smell flowers, I can't smell if someone has BO, can't even tell the difference in taste between things like fruit pastilles - I couldn't begin to tell you which was orange and which was blackcurrant, for example. My mother also doesn't have much of a sense of smell either.
I actually got worried about it once - as losing your sense of smell can be a pointer to gruesome stuff like tumours and whatnot. but then, thinking about it I've never really been able to smell much so I'm probably ok. When I went to the doctors and asked about it once, the doctor wasn't much help - telling me that she too had the same problem (although she didn't really elaborate further!)
I certainly could not tell anyone that their soap was off! On the very rare instance that I get a whiff of things it very often provokes strong memories of various times in childhood.
Yuck. Sal, my friend Andrea also has virtually no sense of smell, when we are passing freshly sprayed fields I envy her, other times I think it is a shame. She also has had this as long as she can remember.
Well, if you've never had it you can't really miss it, I suppose. I know I'd be great working in a Path lab or at the dump, for example but I wouldn't book me in for a wine tasting session. When I do get an occasional scent I really do "savour" it. I find dogs fascinating - always got their noses firmly stuffed in something - they don't seem to care whether it's juicy steak smell, someones bottom or a dead thing! :D
Quote from: Redhotsal on May 21, 2011, 07:34:45 AM
I find dogs fascinating - always got their noses firmly stuffed in something - they don't seem to care whether it's juicy steak smell, someones bottom or a dead thing! :D
;D ;D ;D
My son has anosmia (no sense of smell). He never had much and after an operation to correct a broken nose (a year after it had been broken - cos it wasn't picked up at A&E) he was left with no sense of smell at all. Nothing they can do! It can be quite dangerous - I've come into the room thick black smoke behind him - he's nonchalantly eating a cheese toastie and doesn't realise he's left the grill on till he turns to see the smoke!
Quote from: Redhotsal on May 21, 2011, 12:02:02 AM
I can't smell if someone has BO
Good I wish!! The bloke I sit next to has the most unbelievable Halitosis. It's awful. :P Really, Really AWFUL.