Quality Control

I am something of a perfectionist. I'm rarely thoroughly satisfied with anything I've made. I've learned to live with some degree of imperfection, and when you're melting glass in a kiln there is a certain degree of luck involved in creating a good finished product. I've also learned that that rare piece that I think is the best I've ever made, isn't necessarily an instant hit with anyone else. You never know what someone else may like, even if you don't.

However, I will not list or sell any item I outright dislike, or any item that has a flaw related to some error on my part. I won't sell devitrified glass. I won't sell anything not properly annealed.

I have a drawer filled with rejects. Most of these duds are from the early era of my fusing experience, but I still toss a piece or two every other firing or so. If a piece look boring to me I'll toss it.

Also when I am photographing items for sale in an internet store, I'm shooting on a macro setting. I will see flaws not visible to the unaided eye. Sometimes I just need to rinse or clean the piece or remove a tiny piece of fuzz or a hair. Sometimes the flaw is in the glass itself.

If I see a minor flaw in a piece which becomes a glaring flaw when magnified, and I still like the piece, rather than listing it online I will set it aside for sale at a craft fair.

I also have a couple drawers full of pieces (mostly earrings) that I think can sell but don't impress me enough to list online. I often sell these at discounts. There's nothing wrong with them other than they haven't gained my favor. As a matter of fact, my wife Christina took a bunch of small stud earrings to work tonight and sold six pair to a co-worker. Five bucks a pair. Normally my stud earrings sell for $10.00 to $13.00 a pair depending on the type of glass used and amount of time it took to make them.

Christina will not let me throw anything away.