My current technique for making cameos starts with a cup shaped blank created with multiple color overlays on the outside of clear glass. After annealing, the cold blank is cut and engraved with figurative or geometric patterns.
The blank is then picked up with glass inside the cup, retaining the overlays on the outside of the final bubble. This bubble is slowly blown out and shaped into the final product.
By using the ”glory hole” to fire polish the cuts and engraving, I eliminate the laborious hand polishing necessitated with historical glass cameos. I like the smooth, shiny surface created with this reheating technique. And there is a mystique surrounding the fabrication of the complex, precise, ornate decoration.
— Fritz Dreisbach
