Recycled glass is collected, crushed, washed and mixed with metallic oxides that will produce rich colors when melted. Once the furnace is loaded with 500 pounds of the crushed glass, the "batch" is transformed into a glowing liquid and "cooked" at 2300 degrees over night.  Our Artisans form the molten glass into architectural and decorative works of art for your home; unique items created exclusively by hand casting and the use of molds and stamps. Creating treasure from yesterday's trash is a beautiful thing, and we are proud to make products of simple beauty that also help reduce landfill waste in our community.

The Aurora Glass foundry is owned and operated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County, Inc., a charitable non-profit organization. The foundry is part of SVdP's strategic recycling initiative for a healthier community. All profits from Aurora Glass assist homeless and low-income people through emergency services, housing, jobs, training, other charitable endeavors. When you recycle, you help the environment. When you buy recycled, you help your community.

Specific colors are created by mixing minerals into the crushed glass before firing. Once molten, a chemical reaction takes place and we have color.  Minerals aren't the only factor though. Temperature and time play a role, as well as the source glass itself. When glass is on display, the environment, lighting and thickness of the glass will all play a role in the color a viewer sees.

All of our glass is created from recycled windows and other glass that would otherwise go to the landfill. This glass comes from many sources and already has mineral and chemical content that we cannot control. Therefore our colors will vary. We strive to keep colors as consistent as possible and make every effort to display those colors accurately on this web site.

Computer monitors also vary in the color, contrast, and brightness a viewer sees. Differences in color can be subtle and go unseen, so if you are considering a large purchase and are particular about getting the color just right, please call with your specifications before ordering.

Apricot is a fairly dynamic color. In thin pieces, such as suncatchers and ornaments, apricot can appear almost peach in color. Thicker items such as tile, drawer pulls or napkin rings vary from a deep lustrous copper-apricot to peach depending on the environment, angle of view, and thickness of the glass. The result is beautiful highlights and excellent contrast, perfect for a variety of applications.

Amethyst is the most dynamic color Aurora Glass produces.  Depending on thickness of the piece, environment of display and other factors, amethyst can appear from black to pink.  Thick items such as tile often appear black.  Thin items such as suncatchers appear as a lustrous red-amethyst, while extremely thin items such as some ornaments may appear almost pink in places.

Teal is a very stable color and tends to look teal no matter what.  It does have a range of lightness/darkness depending on thickness of the piece, but this is less noticeable than with other colors.

Cobalt is a very stable color and reaches a deep lusterous blue in thicker glass, such as our field tile and rosette block.  It has a nice range of lightness/darkness depending on thickness of the glass.  It tends to remain a rich color in all but the thinnest of pieces where it appears as a light, fairly subtle blue.

Reminiscent of the glass used in Coca Cola bottles, Classic Clear has a slightly greenish tint that is only really noticable in thicker pieces such as tile.  Thin pieces, such as ornaments, have a delicate modeled look, but are pretty much colorless.

Aqua Blue is a stable color that has it's range of lightness/darkness but stays rich in all but the thinnest of glass.  In very thin pieces, such as some of our ornaments, it becomes a very light subtle blue.

Emerald is a beautifully stable color that ranges from deep rich green to light and subtle depending on thickness of the glass and the environment in which it is displayed.