Which glass enamels are the most transparent or similar to colored glass in brilliance of color?
This is a complex issue. Glass enamels, and even frits and powders, are never quite as transparent and brilliant as cathedral or antique glass. All of the enamels will allow light to pass through if applied thinly enough, but will they impart the color effect that you want if applied thinly? Some hues are naturally more transparent than others: blues and yellows seem to readily retain more transparency than browns, for example. Transparent blue-greens also seem to be plentiful. The enamels which are marketed as transparent tend to require heavy application to achieve a saturated hue. Similarly, the enamels marketed as opaque generally require heavy application to achieve complete opacity, Some colors that are transparent at 1050F lose their coloration if taken to fusing temperatures. Transparent reds tend to be on the violet or rose-color side, and are expensive as well. Reusche and several of the other enamel suppliers sell lines listed as transparent. In each case there are limitatio
