10/29/2015
I copied this from millenniumartglass.com
Just some thoughts.
WHY DOES STAINED GLASS COST WHAT IT DOES?
Quality and craftsmanship always costs. If what you want is cheap, impersonal glass work in your house, it is easy to find. Lots of glass shops and home improvement centers have cheap products, poorly factory-made, with no skills in the selection of glass, all the pieces cut on a computerized water-jet cutting machine, slapped together at minimum wage (or below) and built with the poorest quality glass and materials, and craftsmenship. But that is like buying a cheap guitar. It will always sound like a cheap guitar, and it's value will never increase because of the terrible quality. Whereas, a Martin or Gibson can cost from $650 to $6,000 for a similar guitar, but the difference is the same as between a Volkswagen and a Porsche, a Timex and a Rolex, a Corvair or a Cadillac! You get what you pay for.
Building stained glass artwork is a very exacting craft and art. It takes years of skill, practice, understand in the tools and media, and a dedication to create high-quality work. Everything is hand cut, hand crafted and hand assembled, leaded or foiled and soldered. No machine can do all these steps as a fine glass craftsman can. We cut our hands and are exposed to harsh (even dangerous) chemicals and materials. It can take weeks to months to build a stained glass commission piece. Especially large architectural works and multi-hundred piece Tiffany-style lampshades. We make the designs, find and buy the glass, chose and cut all the pieces, grind and shape them, construct the final work, and the lead or foil EVERY piece by hand, then solder, frame, patina and deliver the pieces. Not to mention all the painting and kiln-work that may also be involved! This is not as they do in China.
Real glass artisans have spent year in their work, thousands of dollars on tools and thousands more on glass. They have worn out some of their tools, their finger tips, their patients, their check books keeping up on the demands of the craft.
