Mayco Jungle Gems™ Crystal glazes allow ceramic artists to easily add bursts of color and design to their fired art. Use them directly from the jar in the decoration style we call “Art in a Jar”, layered with other Crystal glazes, as a design element or as an accent in your overall design of Stroke & Coat® or Foundations® glazes. A few tips to get you started:
Jungle Gems™ Crystal Glazes have been in the market for many years and were originally formulated using a leaded frit. In 2005, they were converted to a leadless formula, similar to the Mayco Crystalites glaze, which have always been lead-free. We have merged these two great product lines into one, all under the Jungle Gems™ brand. This merge simplifies the selection for the consumer as the glazes perform identically. Crystalite colors will keep their item numbers, name and the entire Crystal Glaze product line remains lead-free.
Jungle Gems™ have gloss glaze bases filled with pieces of frit that bloom (melt) during the firing process. As the crystals bloom, they produce dramatic, colorful effects.
Yes! Crystal glaze lines are compatible with Stroke & Coat® and Foundation® glazes.
Jungle Gems™ are known as “Art in a Jar” and offer a variety of application methods.
Do not apply clear glaze over these products as the clear will change the color of the glaze. Most importantly, you don’t want the crystals to fall into your dip tank and adhere to other projects. suggest creating a “Do Not Dip” shelf to keep pieces painted with these glazes out of the dipping area.
Jungle Gems™ are non-toxic. However, the crystals can cause surface issues, making it difficult to properly clean. We recommend using the crystal glazes on non-food surface areas such as the outside of a mug, outside of a bowl, rim of a plate, decorative pieces, etc.
As the crystals “bloom” it could create tiny cracks in the surface of the glaze. Food could get trapped in the cracks and cause bacteria to grow.
Jungle Gems™ glazes are perfect for the customer that is afraid of failure or does not feel that they can paint. Apply three coats of the glaze and they have a great piece!
This is a personal choice. In the next section, we have listed how different studio owners price the glazes in their studio.
This is known as analysis paralysis! Pick twelve of your favorite colors and start there. Or an easy way is to start is with one of the kits: Crystalites™ Kit S2-KIT2 – 12, 4 oz. jars or Jungle Gems™ Kit CG-KIT2 – 12, 4 oz jars. Then go hog wild and order every color because your customers will love this glaze.
Jungle Gems™ Crystal Glazes have been in the market for many years and were originally formulated using a leaded frit. In 2005, they were converted to a leadless formula, similar to the Mayco Crystalites™ glaze, which have always been lead-free. We have merged these two great product lines into one, all under the Jungle Gems™ brand. This merge simplifies the selection for the consumer as the glazes perform identically. Crystalite™ colors will keep their item numbers (S-####), name and the entire Crystal Glaze product line remains lead-free.
Sell the 4 oz. jars as an up-sell. I only mark mine up about 25%, they sell well and give good experiences to those who are feeling “art challenged.” I run a class once a month featuring a project where they get their own jar, making sure it doesn’t use the whole thing and then during the class show them other items that would coordinate with the project to plant the seed for a return visit where they can use the remainder of their jar. I have a separate display from Stroke & Coat®.
Emily Herrington Ohland, Uniquely Yours, IN
We up sell the entire 4 oz jars, suggesting as people are waiting for coats to dry that they may want to do multiple pieces. We have lots of samples around the studio and when people ask about them, we walk them over to the display of jars and chart. We love to use the phrase that Jon Dean uses like “Art in a Jar”.
Lisa Willard Haas, Art From the Heart, VA
I have a display of pieces done with Jungle Gems™/Crystalites™. I charge a small fee to use the “specialty glazes” – $2 or $3 depending on how much is used. If the project will use the whole jar, I just sell it to them retail.
Lisa Sirianni, Dipinto A Mano, OR
Baked Goods Pottery sells the jars for $5 each. The customer can use as much or as little as they want and keep the jar. Baked Goods Pottery has a separate shelf with a painted sample in front of each jar, so the customer knows what the finish will look like after firing.
Jim Campbell, Baked Goods Pottery, MO
These glazes have saved me with the adult customer! I show them projects with the crystal glazes and it is a sold project. The key is to have a sample of the fired glaze.
Amie Vandamme-Garner, Firehouse Pottery, MO