Stained Glass Pricing – Why so much?

stained glass window

Just like everything in life you get what you pay for.   True quality and craftmanship cost more.  If you want poorly made,  cheap glass work in your home then it is available everywhere. Lots of home improvement centers have these poorly made, cheap glass available.  These are typically made in China or Mexico using the poorest quality of glass and materials and have no craftsmanship whatsoever.  These pieces are often cut randomly on a computerized water-jet cutting machine and then slammed together by people working  for less than minimum wage.  Would you rather have a Volkswagen or a Rolls Royce?  Sure, they can both get you where you are going but a Volkswagen will always drive and sound like a Volkswagen.  It lacks the polish of a Rolls.  Heads turn when a Rolls is spotted.  Has your head ever turned for a Volkswagen?  You get what you pay for.

Building a stained glass window is quite labor intensive and requires years of practice to hone your skills, and a great understanding of the tools and medias.  It also takes total dedication and passion for the work to produce a high quality panel.  All my work is hand cut, hand assembled, copper foiled, and soldered.  There isn’t a machine that can reproduce the fine quality of a hand-made piece of art glass.  It’s actually an insult to the art itself.  Louis C. Tiffany would turn over in his grave if he could see what was happening in the stained glass art world today.  We cut our hands (almost daily) and are exposed to harsh chemicals and dangerous fumes.  It can take weeks or even months to build a stained glass commission piece.  We draw the design, find and buy the glass, chose and cut all the pattern pieces, grind the sharp edges, lead or foil every piece by hand, then solder, patina, scrub,  and wax.  We have to make sure all squares are true and circles are round.  This isn’t what they do in China and Mexico in the sweat shops.  We have spent years in fine tuning our skills, thousands of dollars on tools and even more on glass.  So, you say ” Why do you do it?”  Because we are a fool in love.  Do you really want the sweat shop glass or would you rather have a piece that is custom-made just for YOU by an artist that has poured his heart and soul into it?  You decide.

To see my work and inquire about having a custom piece done just for you visit:  AGlassMenagerie.net