I'd like to tell you a little more about my dishes. They're made from System 96 fusible glass which is food safe. However, I've taken that glass and made my own product with it. Technically, as a NEW product, the "food safe" classification of the raw glass is not retained. The main concern is leaching of lead and cadmium, heavy metals which are present in some ceramic glazes. I could have my glassware tested for lead and cadmium, but I don't see the point. My dishes are made with just System 96 glass. No glazes, chemicals, or anything have been added to them. My studio is lead free, has been for 5 years. My kiln fires only System 96 glass , so there's no risk of contamination from other firings. There's no source for lead or cadmium. I haven't gotten a clear answer on how many samples or how often I need to have my work tested. I don't feel that testing would provide anything meaningful, but it would certainly increase the cost of my dishes.
I've talked to many other glass artists about this subject and the response is universally "You're thinking too much about this". Many artists just don't worry about it and some say their work is "food safe" merely because the raw glass is food safe.
I believe my dishes are perfectly safe for food use, although I label them as "Artwork" and "Not For Use With Food." I feel it's better to give you as much information as possible and let you decide how you would like to use them." Small dishes have many non-food uses anyway. A place to put small things like earrings, fancy soap, candles . . .
Caring for Your Dishes:
System 96 is a "soft" glass. It is NOT the harder borosilicate glass used for cookware. (like Pyrex) It is more prone to scratching, so I recommend hand washing. Repeated cycles through the dishwasher will eventually etch the surface. You should also NOT use them on the stove, in the oven, or the microwave, as rapid changes in temperature could cause them to crack.
All of my dishes have been properly annealed, which means that as they're cooling down in the kiln they sit at 950 degrees F for about an hour. This allows the temperature of interior of the glass to cool down to the temperature of the surface of the glass before it's allowed to cool through it's "strain point". This creates a piece without internal stress, which is quite durable.
I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about my dishes, jewelry, or glass in general.
Thanks
Don
