Recycled Glass Jewelry: A Shiny Solution to a Dull Problem

Sept. 11, 2009 - PRLog -- Glass Recycling is not a “Brilliant New Concept”

Or, it could be, if your definition of “new” is “last couple of millennia”. Throughout the ages, man has been recycling glass ever since it was first made. It was surely not for environmental purposes but for various economic, social and aesthetic reasons. For instance, we now know that medieval glassworkers melted Roman glass to make their own jars and bottles simply because it was an expensive and laborious process to create it from scratch. There is archaeological proof that broken glass was used in mosaics and tiles throughout the centuries and in almost all parts of the world. Reusing Glass bottles was a widely accepted norm just because it was expensive to buy new stuff. So, the motivation was a little different then but the concept was same: RECYCLE.
Archeologists at the Israel Antiquities Authority recently excavated a 1,400 year old glass mosaic discovered in the ancient ruins of Caesarea in Israel which had small irregular pieces of glass in it that is believed to be remains of a glasses from a temple fire.

Glass Recycling: Is it that big a deal?

Yes, period. Although, glass is one of the least potentially toxic waste products that we produce, the raw materials it is composed of are cheap and relatively available, they do need to be quarried, which has environmental implications. Glass will not decompose in a landfill site, but it will not leach toxic chemicals. The chief issue with glass production, and the benefit of recycling it, is the energy needed to run and maintain the huge furnaces, and to a lesser degree, the energy of transporting the raw materials and the product.
Here are some numbers to ponder over:
•Americans throw away enough glass bottles and jars every week to fill the Empire State Building.
•The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle will power a 100 watt light bulb for almost an hour; a washing machine for 10 minutes; a TV for 20 minutes and a computer for 25 minutes.
•Every ton of glass that is recycled saves 1,330 lbs of sand, 433 lbs of soda ash, 433 lbs of limestone, and 151 lbs of feldspar.
•A ton of glass produced from raw materials created 384 pounds of mining waste. Using just 50% recycled glass cuts it by about 75%.
•27.8 pounds of air pollution is generated for every ton of new glass produced.
•Recycling glass saves approximately 50% of the energy required to produce new glass. This is because recycled glass, in the form of cullet, needs a slightly lower temperature to melt it.
So, recycling glass saves a lot of energy, resources and harmful pollutants entering the atmosphere.

Recycled Glass Jewelry: A shiny solution to a dull problem
Find amazing Recycled Glass Jewelry at http://www.terratrendz.com/Recycled_Glass_Jewelry_s/53.htm

The concept of Recycled Glass Jewelry is simple. Turn simple inane objects like bottles, jar, containers, windows, cups, plates etc. into works of art, to give them a fresh lease of life. There are several artists who are dedicated to this cause and create fabulous jewelry which is stunning and fashionable with a Green edge.  The idea is to make the jewelry as chic and stylish as any other jewelry and hope that more people will choose this over conventional choices and help the Green Cause.
There are many artists who are masters in their craft and each one of them has a unique approach towards it. They use different types of glass for making jewelry. Here are a few of the widely used types of glass for the purpose of making jewelry:
Stained Glass Jewelry: As the name suggests, stained glass jewelry is created from broken pieces of stained glass which were once part of a door or a window among other things.
Fused Glass Jewelry: This type of jewelry is made by fusing two or more different types of glass (different colored or textured) to create a single piece of stunning jewelry.
Recycled Sea Glass Jewelry: This is a very interesting concept where post consumer glass is sand tumbled in an artificial environment to create an artificial sea glass which is as beautiful and elegant as natural sea glass but also has a Green edge.
Check out unique specimens of Recycled Sea Glass Jewelry at http://www.terratrendz.com/Sea_Glass_Jewelry_s/62.htm
Iridized Glass Jewelry: Iridized glass is glass which is treated with metal salts to create a rainbow effect with different colors, sort of like mother-of-pearl colors.
Memorabilia Glass Jewelry: Some artists are experts at making jewelry from bottles of famous brands of cola, beer, wine and other such glass containers. Sometimes it has sentimental value but more often than not, its just fun.

If you're interested in Recycled Glass Jewelry be sure to visit http://www.TerraTrendz.com. We have unique and trendy Recycled Glass Jewelry that is sure to be cherished for a long time. Since we have exclusivity agreements with most of our artists you can expect to find beautiful pieces of jewelry that are available at no other webstore.

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Terra Trendz is a place where you can find green yet fashionable handbags, jewelry and other accessories which are recyled, handmade or fairtrade.
We believe that nobody should have to choose between keeping it green and keeping ones' style.