Anna Herman creates handcrafted glass jewelry and mosaics in her workshop in the Mt. Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia.

Her pieces are created using two glass working techniques, fusing and lampworking.

Fusing glass describes a process where special types of glass are hand cut, arranged in layers in a design, and then fired to 1500 degrees in a kiln to fuse the separate layers into one. The heating, holding and cooling process takes 10-12 hours to complete. Most designs require multiple firings, a process that takes several days. The addition of precious metals, etched and dichronic glass create shimmer and depth.

Lampworking describes the process of manipulating glass in a propane - oxygen torch, at about 1700 degrees, until it is molten and pliable like honey. The warm glass is either wrapped around a metal mandrel, to form a bead, or shaped with various tools to form pendants, animals, buttons or other free form objects. These lampworked elements are held and then cooled in a kiln, a process called annealing, which insures structural integrity of the finished pieces.

Fused and lampworked elements are then turned into a range of dramatic, colorful and one of a kind jewelry and more.