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First, there is the size of the marble in 5 size ranges. I
don't make anything smaller than 1 inch and can't get much
bigger than 3 inches with my current skill level.
Next, both technical and aesthetic quality are used to derive an
overall quality rating. Both types of quality have a range of 1
(low) to 3 (high) on the quality chart. Some of the factors
which lower technical quality are: not fully round; small surface imperfection; poor
reduction technique or other errors in execution. Some of the factors that count against
aesthetic quality are: poor color variation; muddled
colors, or boring patterns. Aesthetic quality is more
subjective, for example, a 3 in an early series might become
a 2 if it were later re-graded. Re-grading earlier efforts
will not occur however.
In the example charts above, if a
marble had a technical quality of 2 and an aesthetic quality
of 3, then the quality rating is a 4 (the light colored
box).
Finally, pricing is determined by size and quality. Looking at the
pricing chart, a marble in the size range of 3 with a
quality rating of 4 cost $125. This is the light
colored box in the Pricing Chart.
You won't see marbles for sale with a quality rating of 1
and only a few with a 2. The exception to this will be the
marbles on the Early
Tests of Metal page. These marbles are not rated. They
are very early experiments, and I'm selling them as a
curiosity. Mainly, the page exists if your interested in
seeing how Metal Marbles evolved.
Signature Codes
Each item sold on EyeCandy is signed with a code which
includes: my initials; the year of creation; number in a
series; type code; and quality rating.
For example, JB.05.24.p4 is the code for: my
initials, the year, the 24th marble of the year, a
production run marble of a quality of 4.
Presently, there are 3 type codes of: x for
experimental; p for production run; and l for
limited edition.
Occasionally, there may be a few marbles where a series is
identified. For example, JB.05.24-2.p3 would denote that
this is the 24th marble of 2005 and the second of a series.
Other Things to Note
Each computer monitor and browser (IE,
Netscape, Foxfire, Mozilla, etc.) shows color differently.
I've attempted to reproduce the color of the marbles as best
I could, but since there are no industry-wide display color standards
a marble
may look a little different when you receive it. In
general, monitors 'favor' or are heavier in one of the three
basic colors of red, green or blue. Consequently, your
monitor might make the marbles slightly greener or more red
than they actually are. The differences are not
usually dramatic, but they can be significant depending on
how different you monitor is from average.
Metal Marbles are experimental. Any time you add substances
like metal to hot glass you are changing the glass chemistry
itself. If you are not careful an internal stress can be
created which in weeks, months or even years might force the
marble to crack. Every precaution has been taken to prevent
this from occurring. However, should a marble mysteriously crack it can be
returned.
Special orders can be accommodated. You can order by size
and quality to determine the price.
Paper weights are available on the web site and by special
order. Again, you can order by size and quality.
Raku Rocks are Metal Marbles of various irregular shapes,
and are much like a polished stone agate. There are only
three sizes of small, medium, and large, in the
marble size ranges of 1, 3, and 5.
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