Malaysian glass jewellery artist handcrafts 200 designs during the pandemic

Shareena is drawn to glass because of the wide variety and vibrant colours that glass material offers. Photos: Azlina Abdullah/The Star

Since the start of the pandemic, Shareena Shahridan, 44, has been spending most of her time indoors. But that didn’t mean the mother of two has been idle at home.

In the past two years, the glass artist has handcrafted over 200 pieces of jewellery ranging from pendants, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.

“Many people engaged in activities like cooking, sewing and self-improvement during the MCO. I took the opportunity to focus on glass art jewellery-making and it has helped me stay calm during this health crisis. It also provided me with an opportunity to think of future business projects and create new designs,” said Shareena who lives in Kuala Lumpur.

Shareena, like many local crafters, has made good use of the numerous movement control order periods throughout the pandemic, to improve her artistic skills. She shares her creations on social media.

Shareena’s glass jewellery is created using dichroic glass that is then mounted onto clear or black glass.

Although the pandemic has been tough for many, especially those whose jobs and livelihoods were were affected, many have also learned new skills like crafting and baking, and used platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Instagram to share their accomplishments and endeavours.

Some even have started home-based businesses, selling their crafts and wares for extra income.

Shareena’s speciality is dichroic (pronounced die-crow-ick) glass jewellery. This is a specialised art, where iridescent glass pieces are fused between several layers of glass under high temperatures.

She likes working with glass because she finds that the variety and vibrant colours of the material inspires her creativity.

To her, glass art jewellery is both fragile and resilient.

“Glass has a tough surface, yet when heated in the kiln, it melts and changes in shape and form. This is sort of like us women... no matter how tough a woman is on the surface, inside, by nature, she is soft, tender and kind,” said Shareena.

“Each of my pieces is unique. Women are my source of inspiration because I think women are special. And every jewellery piece I create represents the different facets of a woman, as well as the individual styles and personalities that women exhibit,” she explained.

Raja Azhar and his wife are passionate about glass art.

My husband, my mentor

Shareena’s foray into glass art jewellery making wasn’t completely accidental.

She is married to award-winning artist and glassmaker Raja Azhar Idris, 70 and decided to take classes in glassmaking in 2008 after the two got married. Raja Azhar was named Artist of the Year by the Melbourne Artists’ Society and won the Melbourne City Lord Mayor’s Prize when he was residing in Australia in the 1980s.

Ever since, Shareena, a former bank executive, has been leveraging on her husband’s glass-making expertise to improve her own skills.

“Coming from a corporate background, it was initially quite challenging to learn glass making, which is something entirely new for me. I was totally out of my comfort zone. I also had to deal with internal conflicts because I kept questioning my capabilities and wasn’t sure if I could be a glass artist with zero background in the field,” she confessed.

She’s incredibly thankful to Raja Azhar who has been her mentor for over 14 years.

“My husband has taught me so much about art and glassmaking. He has over 20 years of experience in glass making, and the knowledge that he has passed on to me is priceless.

“He is also my pillar of strength and my strongest supporter,” said Shareena, who also attended a glass jewellery making course in Canberra, Australia, in 2017.

Each handcrafted glass piece is ground to perfection.

Shareena has been running a home-based jewellery label Kacha since 2014. She currently manages the business while raising her children.

Over the years, she’s helped Raja Azhar with many commissioned glass projects. This has, in turn, helped to improve her own skills.

“I have been helping my husband create glass pieces since we got married. Over the years, a natural partnership has formed between us. Raja Azhar guides me in creating designs for my glass pieces of jewellery while I assist him in crafting glassworks that require intricate detailing.

“One of the most painstaking projects that I have assisted him with was creating one thousand pieces of royal dining tableware for the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. There were five main designs, but the hand-drawn songket designs were the most challenging. Those required skill, perseverance and patience,” she recalls.

Shareena's workstation is filled with many tools and materials. Photo: Shareena Shahridan

Artistic creativity

Dichroic glass was first developed by NASA in the 1950s and 1960s to help protect astronauts’ vision from the harsh glare of unfiltered sunlight in space. It is also known as fusion glass; it is treated with metal like titanium, chromium, and gold to produce rainbow-like colours.

To create her jewellery pieces, Shareena fuses two or three layers of COE (coefficient of expansion) 96 glass – a type of glass used to make glass art, jewellery and glass tiles – together under high heat.

Once the base layer is ready, she arranges items like dichroic glass pieces, glass stringers or glass confetti on it. Finally, a layer of clear glass is added to create a luminous finish.

They are then arranged in a kiln and fired at 740°C. From firing to cooling down, the whole process takes about 24 hours to complete.

Glass art jewellery pieces are arranged in the kiln and fired at 740°C.

Once that’s done, she uses a diamond cutter to get the shape she wants. All the sharp edges are then smoothed using a diamond head polisher. She then transforms the pieces into decorative pendants and earrings.

On average, Shareena takes about three days to create a glass art jewellery piece.

“It takes a lot of discipline and hard work. One must always be physically, mentally and emotionally strong to juggle a home business while caring for the family.

“Focus, determination, patience and perseverance are the key factors in managing and keeping everything together. I am also very blessed to have strong support from my family.”

Shareena admits there are challenges in crafting glass jewellery. It is disappointing, for instance, when the fired glass pieces do not turn out as expected.

“There are instances when the glass piece gets distorted or did not mix nicely. When this happens, I will have to grind and fire the glass pieces again.

“Other challenges include difficulty in sourcing for raw materials. The steep prices of dichroic glass and other items is also a drawback,” says Shareena, who turns to nature and her surroundings for inspiration for her jewellery pieces.

As tricky as it can get, Shareena says she’s elated whenever she receives positive feedback from customers.

“Most people are fascinated by the beauty of the pieces. And, when they find out that they are made of glass, the first question that follows is whether the glass is easily breakable.

“The cost is a concern too. But once they understand the material and creative process involved, customers acknowledge the value of the products.

“Jewellery enthusiasts like that they are statement pieces and are different from other jewellery in the market,” explains Shareena.

Raja Azhar guides Shareena in creating designs for her glass pieces of jewellery and she, in turn, assists him in crafting glasswork that need intricate detailing.

A community of crafters

Besides sharing her work on her Instagram (kachaglassart), Shareena also takes part in fair and bazaars such as those organised by Kraftangan Malaysia.

Next Wednesday, she will join about 300 local artisans in showcasing their handcrafted items at the National Craft Day in Kuala Lumpur.

“I’ve been extremely busy completing the last minute items for the event. I’m working on incorporating new materials, like leather, into my glass pieces. These are some of the innovations I have been working on during the pandemic.”

She encourages homemakers to tap into their potential and launch a home business.

“Nowadays, there are many products that can be sold online and many different platforms to choose from for mothers who are seriously considering a home-based business. They need to equip themselves with the right skills and build their knowledge. And, it’s good to have a mentor to guide them.”

National Craft Day takes place at Kompleks Kraft Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Conlay in Kuala Lumpur from Feb 23 - Mar 7 (10am-10pm). For more details, visit Kraftangan Malaysia's Facebook page.