About Me

My fascination with glass started when I was a little girl visiting the Corning Glass Works factory. During this visit, I became mesmerized by glass and how it was made and used. I was not able to take this fascination with glass to a new level until I was older.

It was about 13 years ago that I finally explored the world of glass art at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. Since then, and with the encouragement of my mentors, a husband and wife team, I was able to fulfill my dreams of creating art objects from glass.

I love the depth of color and texture that comes from glass as well as the many ways to create beautiful objects. My business is focusing on basic, everyday jewelry that is either cast or fused, but I will be expanding into different areas of art glass in the future.

Ellava Designs was named after my two oldest grand-daughters, Ella and Ava. They are the inspirations for my work and I hope to get them involved some day.

I hope you enjoy your jewelry as much as I enjoyed creating it. All jewelry chains, unless otherwise stated, are either silver or gold plated as well as leather and some satin. The silver and gold plated jewelry, when not worn, should be stored in the zip-lock plastic bags that are given with each purchase. This is necessary to prevent tarnishing. All metal is purported to be nickel-free from the manufacturers.

Brief Descriptions of the Process Used

Cast Glass

Cast glass is created using a mold that is either bought or handmade. The glass used is called frit which comes in fine, medium or coarse and in many varied colors. The frit is then placed inside the mold and fired in a kiln typically between 1400 to 1450 degrees Fahrenheit, then annealed. Annealing of glass is a controlled cooling. This process takes approximately 14 hours. Several firings may be needed to accomplish the desired result.

Fused Glass

Fused glass is created using two or more pieces of fusible (either 90 COE or 96 COE) glass that is fired in a kiln to a temperature ranging from 1100 to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. The fused glass process contains multiple ramps and soaks before it is finally annealed. This process can take up to and over 24 hours to complete. Multiple firings may be needed to accomplish the desired result.