The Story Behind Our ‘Brood X’ Cicada Suncatcher
As the Blenko campus and entire surrounding area was recently visited by Brood X visitors, it spawned the idea of immortalizing them in glass!.
The idea was first presented by our VP of sales and then one employee was tasked with the challenge of catching a few of these winged insects to be used as models.
Once our models were collected, our lead custom designer began etching the cicada design into graphite, a timely and meticulous process. During the etching and design process, one final touch was suggested by our night watchman. As a subtle nod to commemorate the ‘Brood X’ Cicada, it was suggested that the twigs and sticks in each suncatcher background be laid out in a way to display subtle x’s as a way to memorialized ‘Brood X’.
Our graphite molds were then turned into stamps for our hot glass shops! In the hot shops, globs of molten glass are collected, cut to a certain size and pressed with the stamp to imprint the desired design.
After a trip down the lehr to cool, our suncatchers are inspected for animperfections and take one final trip to the grinding room to drill a hole in the suncatcher before they are ready for the public.
