Make Your Own Crushed Glass Crystals

5 Materials
30 Minutes
Easy

If you make lots of crafts and want to add a touch of sparkle on the cheap then this is the project for you.


I use these crystals in my resin crafts and they look beautiful.


I used to buy those little gems from Amazon which are lovely but can be quite expensive for what you get. A pack of glass pebbles or glass tiles, like the ones I’ve used, crushed into crystals give you probably 10 times the yield for the same price!


This glass is safety glass too so after it’s been crushed it isn’t sharp anymore and won’t cut you.


WHAT YOU’LL NEED


  • Glass tiles/glass pebbles
  • Saucepan
  • Hammer
  • Old cloth/material
  • Sieve
  • Ice water
  • Preferred safety wear


These crystals cost me nothing to make as I already owned all the items need to make them and was given the tub of tiles by a friend over a year ago. I’m fairly confident every household has some glass pebbles lurking somewhere so I hope this will be the same for you!


YOUTUBE


I have this entire project filmed and up on my YouTube channel if you want to watch it instead.


Click the video link above to view and please think about checking out the rest of my channel and subscribing icon


STEP 1


Add the glass pieces to a frying pan and turn the heat up to full.


Put the lid on and leave for around 5 minutes. The lid is just a safety precaution, there shouldn’t be any chips or bursts but just in case there is, the lid will be there to stop them from flying out of the pan.


STEP 2


Whilst things are warming up, prepare a container/s of ice water with plenty of room for your glass pieces to be fully submerged in.


After the 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat, take off the lid and then tip the glass pieces into the icy water containers.


Let the glass pieces cool thoroughly for at least 10 mins.


STEP 3


Lay an old rag or section of material out on the floor, stone or concrete will work best.


Using a hammer, lightly tap on each glass piece to shatter it. Keep tapping the shattered pieces until you are happy with their size.


You should be able to roll the pieces in your hand as I am doing in the pic above. This is completely safe to do at this point but just be wary of the small dusty shards, they can still stick into your skin. They don’t hurt but just dust them off first to avoid annoying litter splinters. The larger pieces won’t hurt at all.


You can cover several glass pieces with the corner of your material rag and smash multiple at once. The rag will stop chips from flying too far from the hit-zone.


Once all the pieces have been broken and collected, gather up the smaller chips using the rag and keep them for the next step.


STEP 4


Empty the small chips from the rag into a sieve and shake all the little shards out into a separate container.


The smaller chips left in your sieve are also safe, it’s just the little dusty shards left behind that you want to get rid of.


You may also want to add the larger glass pieces to the sieve to shake off any remaining shards.


USING YOUR CRYSTALS


Now you will have an array of different sized crystal pieces for your crafts. When I use mine, I sometimes spray them gold or silver. I then use these in my 3D resin artwork, specifically my large geode pieces like the one I made below.


Using your DIY crystal pieces in resin crafts is a fantastic way to incorporate these into your art.


I have a full tutorial on how I created this geode display tray on my YouTube channel.


Click this link to view exactly how to make your own and to see my crystals fulfilling their true destiny!


This is just one way of how to utilize your crystals, the possibilities are endless!


Thanks so much for taking the time to read my project!


Please know I also have an Etsy store where I sell all the pieces I make for my channel and hometalk posts. Click here to have a browse!


Until next time x


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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  3 questions
  • Terri Terri on Jul 14, 2021

    why does the glass not cut you when you roll it around in your hands?

  • Debi Debi on Jul 14, 2021

    Can't you just crush it without the hot/cold process?

  • Lisa West Lisa West on Jul 15, 2021

    your pieces are gorgeous def gonna visit your YouTube channel. Can't wait to view. Can you use clear rilea to the glass as well do you have a way you crush then if you use any type of tile? Thank you for sharing to. Its really pretty. I have real raw crystals that I could as to a geode to. They need to be cleaned.

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 6 comments
  • Barbara Barbara on Jul 15, 2022

    Where do we get the glass to start with?

    • Hi Barbara, I used some old glass mosaic tiles. My friend gave them to me but I think she got them from Michael's originally.

      If you don't have tiles that aren't being put to good use then this craft wouldn't be for you.

  • Robin N. Robin N. on Jul 15, 2022

    This isn't a question. My Mom did this same hot to cold process to marbles when I was a kid. They were pretty and she didn't break them up.

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