Dichroic glass

[5] Multiple ultra-thin layers of transparent oxides of such metals as titanium, chromium, aluminium, zirconium, or magnesium; or silica are vaporised by an electron beam in a vacuum chamber.

The coating that is created is very similar to a gemstone[dubious – discuss] and, by careful control of thickness, different colors may be obtained.

Due to variations in the firing process, individual results can never be exactly predicted, so each piece of fused dichroic glass is unique.

[8] Images can be formed by removing the dichroic coating from parts of the glass, creating everything from abstract patterns to letters, animals, or faces.

Sculpted glass elements that have been shaped by extreme heat and then fused together may also be coated with dichroic afterwards to make them reflect an array of colors.

The corporate headquarters of Amazon.com in Seattle, Washington, incorporates dichroic glass into the exterior of its high-rise building, reflecting light into various colors that depend on the time of day.

Its striking glass exterior was designed to reference the intentional prairie fires[11] that were an integral part of farming life in Kansas.