A Lumera suncatcher is sheet glass cut by hand, painted, and fired at 1,465°F so the colour is in the glass, not on it, then leaded and soldered by hand, finished with a brass frame and hung on a brass chain. Two people make every piece. There is no plastic, acrylic or vinyl in it.
The specifics
- Glass
- Sheet glass, cut by hand
- Colour
- Painted, then fired into the glass
- Kiln
- 1,465°F
- Joins
- Leaded and soldered by hand
- Frame
- Hand-soldered brass
- Hangs on
- Brass chain
- Suncatcher sizes
- 15, 20 or 25 cm across
- Christmas ornament
- 10 cm bauble, thick translucent glass, gold cap
- Background tones
- A choice of tones, or Auto (suncatcher only)
- Signed
- On the back, every piece
- Made to order in
- 2–3 weeks, then posted
- Packed in
- A double-walled box, tracked to the door
How it is made,
in order
The design is drawn
You upload a photo on the create page and Tedooo's design technology draws it in glass in about a minute: the lead lines first, then the glass colours, then how it looks with the sun behind it. It is free, and you can run it again as many times as you like.
One of us checks it
Before anything is cut, one of us checks the approved design against your photograph. The approved design is what we work to, which is why the approving happens before the paying; nothing is cut until your payment has cleared.
The glass is cut
Each piece of glass is cut by hand from sheet, following the lead lines of the design. A machine has never touched the glass. The pieces are cut at the size you chose, 15, 20 or 25 cm across for a suncatcher.
It is painted and fired
The pieces are painted and fired in the kiln at 1,465°F, which fuses the colour into the glass rather than leaving it on the surface. A batch sometimes waits an extra day in the kiln for the colour to come right; when it does, we say so.
It is leaded and soldered
Out of the kiln, the pieces are leaded and soldered together by hand into the web of lines you approved on screen. The solder is what you feel on the back of the finished piece.
It is framed, chained and signed
A brass frame is soldered around the edge, a brass chain is fitted to the frame, and the back is signed. For an ornament, the raised metallic lead lines are soldered on, the portrait is hand-painted, the glass is polished and the gold cap goes on.
It is packed and posted
The piece goes into a double-walled box and is tracked all the way to your door. A custom piece is posted after two to three weeks of making; a ready-made piece from the shop leaves within three to five days.
What is a Lumera piece made of?
Glass, lead, solder and brass. The glass is cut by hand from sheet and fired at 1,465°F; the pieces are held together with lead and solder; the frame and the chain are brass.
That is the whole list. The colour you see is the glass itself, painted and then fired so the colour is in the glass rather than on it. The brass frame is soldered on by hand and gives the round its edge and a fixed point for the chain. The Christmas ornament is a 10 cm bauble of thick translucent glass with a gold cap and raised metallic lead lines, the portrait hand-painted at its centre. What a suncatcher is made of goes through each part in turn.
Why is it made this way?
Because fired colour does not fade, rub off or peel, and because hand-cut glass with real lead lines is the thing itself rather than a picture of it. The slow way is the only way to make a piece that weighs what it weighs and glows the way it glows.
Every piece is drawn once, for one person, and exists only once. We started cutting glass in 2021 and have made and sent over 91,200 pieces since, every one by the two of us; the design side is what Tedooo's technology changed: a photo can now be drawn in glass in about a minute, and one of us still draws by hand when the drawing is not right. The hands that cut it have not changed. How a custom suncatcher is made follows one piece through the studio.
How do I care for it?
Wipe it gently with a soft, dry cloth. Keep sprays and water away from the solder and the brass. Hang it from its chain on a fixed hook.
The colour is fired into the glass, so sun does not fade it and a cloth does not lift it; the only parts to be gentle with are the metal joins and the frame. Between seasons, or for a move, lay it flat in the double-walled box it came in. The care guide has the full routine, and the hanging guide says where to put it.
How is it packed?
In a double-walled box, tracked all the way to your door. It arrives on its brass chain, signed on the back, ready to hang the day it arrives.
Shipping and any duties are calculated at checkout, and we ship worldwide; the delivery estimate for your country is shown there too. Several pieces in one order go out in the same box. Keep the box: it is the right way to store or move the piece later.
What is not in it?
No plastic, no acrylic, no vinyl, no printed film and no machine-cut glass. Nothing in a Lumera piece is lighter or quicker than glass, lead and brass.
- No plastic or acrylic: the round is glass, which is why it weighs what it weighs.
- No vinyl or printed film: the colour is fired into the glass, not applied to it.
- No machine cutting: two people cut, paint, fire and lead every piece.
- No second use of your photo: it draws your piece and nothing else, and is deleted when the order closes.
The one thing that is not ours is the first drawing, which comes back from Tedooo's design technology, the same engine behind every made-to-order piece on the marketplace. The pieces are sold and checked out through Tedooo. Everything after the drawing is done in the studio. Start with a photo on the create page.
Questions this leaves
Is the glass thick or thin?
The suncatcher is cut from sheet glass and has the weight of glass, lead and brass; the Christmas ornament is made of thick translucent glass, which is what lets the tree lights come through it. One buyer's review mentions the weight of the suncatcher as the thing that surprised her.
Is every piece really made by hand?
Yes. A machine has never touched the glass. Two people cut, paint, fire and lead every piece, and one of us checks the design against your photograph before we start. The drawing comes from Tedooo's technology; the piece comes from us.
Are the ready-made pieces made the same way?
Yes. Same glass, same kiln, same brass frame and chain, signed the same way. The ready-made pieces in the shop are already cut and leave within three to five days; a custom piece starts from your photo and is made in two to three weeks.
What temperature is the kiln?
1,465°F. That is the temperature the painted colour fuses into the glass at, and it is why the colour does not fade in a window or come off on a cloth.