Benaya works with guild artists to produce hand painted ceramic tiles using a glaze formula to avoid crazing as much as possible. The raw clay is formed into a bisque, the picture is then drawn onto it and the raised line work is applied by hand. The artists then apply the colours in layers and finally it is fired at 1000c (1800f) for 22 hours. Perfect as gifts and presents these hand crafted fused glass creations, which include owls, hens, cats, garden birds, wildlife and many more, look fantastic on a window sill with the sunlight shining through them. Great for kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms, and anywhere you want to add colour and fun. The construction of the clay and the paint/glaze material are very different and the varying temperatures cause minute amounts of shrinkage and expansion. Thiscontributes to movement in these elements which results in ""crazing"".

Every one of our 'D&J Glassware' and 'Benaya at Milford' fused glass ornaments is entirely hand made by a process which spans several days. Individual pieces of glass are cut out by hand and layered up flat upon one another, to made the shape of the piece. This glass is then placed in a kiln where, over many hours, it slowly melts together to form one 'fused' piece. Once cooled the resulting sculpture is hand painted to create a unique ornament for your home. The fused glass technique is not an exact science as sometimes pieces can fuse in the wrong position so only the best ones are selected and allowed to be sold. C razing can happen at different stages of the tile's life, ranging from hours after being fired to months or years later. Master craftspeople consider this type of product to be alive and liken crazing to tiles as wrinkles are to people.