A Gazing Ball Using Glass Gems

This is a picture of my first gazing ball.  This gazing ball was used making glass gems.  Gems are rounded bits of glass with a flat back.  I used them for the first ball because I was testing the plumbers tape and silicone to make sure they would hold well with glass.  When testing, I try to do it as cheaply as possible just in case it does not work out.  I used different colors and sizes of gems because I wanted to see what the different colors would look like and how well the different sizes would stick to the ball.

The ball is bumpy from the rounded shapes sticking out all over it.  I wasn't very happy with that aspect of it, but the gems glow nicely when the sun is shining through them.  There is a very large gem at the top of the ball.  I found that these were so heavy that they could only be glued when the ball was positioned straight up.  Their weight made them slide if they were on the side of the ball.  You could do a gazing ball using only the large gems, but it would take a very long time because you would have to glue one on, then wait for the glue to dry completely before rotating the ball and gluing on another one.