Plastics

Has anyone here heard of "Suju"?

I recently purchased some necklace/earring sets. They're gorgeous.
They sparkle so much that I had to finally ask the manufacturer if they
were plastic or glass. They looked more on the plastic side, but I've
not seen plastic like this before.

He said it was called "Suju" and is "similar to" plastic and is
imported into China from Taiwan. I'm sure that means it is plastic,
but I'd like to know more if anyone has any info. I can't seem to
Google anything up about it.

Thanks!


--
http://www.enchantmentportal.com
http://www.idoljunky.com

We came accross some beads that were locally described as Suju in
Ghaunjo which we have seen on many UK jewellery sites selling them as
dichroic glass. The term 'dichroic glass' is confusing as yet there is
no standard or legal defination of the term.
The beads are blown in Taiwan and Indonesia however we found that
inside the shaft of the bead was a grey/yellowish powder. When we
tested the powder it turned out to be asbestos. The manufacterer
evidently using asbestos during the manufacure process.
We had to instruct a specialist asbestos removal firm to take the beads
away as legally you cannot just throw them out. Obviously not all the
beads described as suju are made the same way however if you see any
type of such powder/fragments on the inside of the bead contact your
local asbestos removal agency imediately. It might not be asbestos
however the risks are too high to take any
chances.http://www.silverstall.com/Dichroic_...jewellery.html

We came accross some beads recently in Gaunjou, China which were
pronounced locally as Suju. We bought some however before any were sold
we noticed the interior of the bead hole had deposits of a grey/yellow
powder. We had the powder lab-tested and it was identified as
asbestos. Evidently the manufacturers (who we were told were in
Indonesia) had used asbestos inside the bead in the manufacturing
process.
It cost =A345 to have a few beads safley removed by a specilaist
asbestos removal team (you cannot simply throw them out). We have since
seen the same beads being sold on UK silver jewellery sites describing
them as Dichroic Glass to which they bear a similar resemblance.
I hope your beads are not from the same source and chances are they
will not be however if you see any grey/yellowish powder inside the
bead don't take any risks and definatley don't try to wash the powder
out as that will disturb the asbestos particles. The dangers of
breathing in just one particle (not even visible to the human eye) of
asbestos can lead to the fatal condition of asbestosis.
Therefore if your beads look like a coloured glass, have a powdery
thread, were imported from the far east and were described as Suju or
dichroic glass then don't take any risks - get them professionally
tested. http://www.silverstall.com/Dichroic_...jewellery.html

silverstall wrote:
We came accross some beads recently in Gaunjou, China which were
pronounced locally as Suju. We bought some however before any were sold
we noticed the interior of the bead hole had deposits of a grey/yellow
powder. We had the powder lab-tested and it was identified as
asbestos. Evidently the manufacturers (who we were told were in
Indonesia) had used asbestos inside the bead in the manufacturing
process.
It cost =A345 to have a few beads safley removed by a specilaist
asbestos removal team (you cannot simply throw them out). We have since
seen the same beads being sold on UK silver jewellery sites describing
them as Dichroic Glass to which they bear a similar resemblance.
I hope your beads are not from the same source and chances are they
will not be however if you see any grey/yellowish powder inside the
bead don't take any risks and definatley don't try to wash the powder
out as that will disturb the asbestos particles. The dangers of
breathing in just one particle (not even visible to the human eye) of
asbestos can lead to the fatal condition of asbestosis.
Therefore if your beads look like a coloured glass, have a powdery
thread, were imported from the far east and were described as Suju or
dichroic glass then don't take any risks - get them professionally
tested. http://www.silverstall.com/Dichroic_...jewellery.html


Well there are several types of asbestos, the type thats potentially
the most dangerous is the blue type.
Now lets get all this in perspective, of course its important to take
precautions with any known hazardus substance, But a few fibres inside a
bead hole? and you say you cant /shouldnt wash it out/
your being paranoid and unessasarily alarmist.
Istly if you immerse the beads in water, there no chance from there of
any dust getting out.
Also if you use a pipe cleaner and wash up liquid clean the bore of
the bead and rinse well under running water youll be ok.
As a professional metal wood etc worker using industrial abrasive sand
ing and polishing techniques, with proper extraction for over 35 years,
a recent chest xray proved clear.
and ive used asbestos in heat insulation and mixed with cement as
asbestos sheets. this is harmless in this form, tho you wouldnt
deliberately breathe cement asbestos sawing dust anymore tha any other
dust.
Talking of which there are many dust particle sizes in dust of any form,
the large ones dont get down into the lung far enough to cause damage,
the smallest get drawn in and are breathed out again. there is a size
thats the same size as the aleove diameter that get stuck there in the
lung. its this size you have to filter out, so if you produce dust in
your business or hobby, do your research and use common sense and .
If mankind was that suseptible to dust he would have died out
thousands of years ago.
The average urban enviroment is a dust hazard apart from any vehicle
exhaust pollution.

when we have a still air temperature inversion over the nearest town, we
can see from here the brown haze of vehicle emissions hanging over this
urban area.
Ant thousands of people live there and breathe this all day long.
theres your real risk.

ted frater wrote:

silverstall wrote:

We came accross some beads recently in Gaunjou, China which were
pronounced locally as Suju. We bought some however before any were sold
we noticed the interior of the bead hole had deposits of a grey/yellow
powder. We had the powder lab-tested and it was identified as
asbestos. Evidently the manufacturers (who we were told were in
Indonesia) had used asbestos inside the bead in the manufacturing
process.
It cost =A345 to have a few beads safley removed by a specilaist
asbestos removal team (you cannot simply throw them out). We have since
seen the same beads being sold on UK silver jewellery sites describing
them as Dichroic Glass to which they bear a similar resemblance.
I hope your beads are not from the same source and chances are they
will not be however if you see any grey/yellowish powder inside the
bead don't take any risks and definatley don't try to wash the powder
out as that will disturb the asbestos particles. The dangers of
breathing in just one particle (not even visible to the human eye) of
asbestos can lead to the fatal condition of asbestosis.
Therefore if your beads look like a coloured glass, have a powdery
thread, were imported from the far east and were described as Suju or
dichroic glass then don't take any risks - get them professionally
tested. http://www.silverstall.com/Dichroic_...jewellery.html



Well there are several types of asbestos, the type thats potentially
the most dangerous is the blue type.
Now lets get all this in perspective, of course its important to take
precautions with any known hazardus substance, But a few fibres inside a
bead hole? and you say you cant /shouldnt wash it out/
your being paranoid and unessasarily alarmist.
Istly if you immerse the beads in water, there no chance from there of
any dust getting out.
Also if you use a pipe cleaner and wash up liquid clean the bore of
the bead and rinse well under running water youll be ok.
As a professional metal wood etc worker using industrial abrasive sand
ing and polishing techniques, with proper extraction for over 35 years,
a recent chest xray proved clear.
and ive used asbestos in heat insulation and mixed with cement as
asbestos sheets. this is harmless in this form, tho you wouldnt
deliberately breathe cement asbestos sawing dust anymore tha any other
dust.
Talking of which there are many dust particle sizes in dust of any form,
the large ones dont get down into the lung far enough to cause damage,
the smallest get drawn in and are breathed out again. there is a size
thats the same size as the aleove diameter that get stuck there in the
lung. its this size you have to filter out, so if you produce dust in
your business or hobby, do your research and use common sense and .
If mankind was that suseptible to dust he would have died out
thousands of years ago.
The average urban enviroment is a dust hazard apart from any vehicle
exhaust pollution.

when we have a still air temperature inversion over the nearest town, we
can see from here the brown haze of vehicle emissions hanging over this
urban area.
Ant thousands of people live there and breathe this all day long.
theres your real risk.


I won't minimize the suffering of any individual afflicted(as my own
father was), but, in general, the asbestos issue was/is exagerated. One
item never really broadcast well, was the VAST difference between
smokers and non-smokers with similar asbestos exposure. Non-smokers had
an infinitesmally higher rate of asbestosis and cancer over the regular
population. Smokers lungs are lined with tar, preventing the cilia from
extracting foreign particles adequately. That said, the precautions Ted
has outlined are reasonable. Or, knowing the problem (thank you - btw
for posting) one can decide for themselves if they want to acquire the
beads in the first place. Knowing is half the battle.

Carl


--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:51:35 GMT, wrote:

The term 'dichroic glass' is confusing as yet there is
no standard or legal defination of the term.

Dichroic glass has dichroic glass in it. It was developed by NASA.
--
Marilee J. Layman
http://mjlayman.livejournal.com/

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006 18:39:57 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Marilee J. Layman"
wrote:

On Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:51:35 GMT, wrote:

The term 'dichroic glass' is confusing as yet there is
no standard or legal defination of the term.

Dichroic glass has dichroic glass in it. It was developed by NASA.

And I, for one, have never felt confused by the term "dichroic glass". it may
help to understand what it actually is. Dichroic glass is a product thatwas
first developed for optical filters. it's a glass filter with coatings on it
that allow very narrow wavelength (color) filtering for precise color filters.
Unlike filters that work by dyes or the like that simply block some wavelengths
more than others, these coatings are interference coatings, who's makeup and
thickness determines the colors that will pass using optical interference, the
same mechanism that gives oil slicks, anodized titanium or niobium, or even
precious opal, it's color. Anyone familier with these latter examples knows
that there can be color shifts depending on the angle of view, and dichroic
filters are designed similarly, sometimes with intentional dual wavelength
colors. The filters, whatever the intent, are characterized by colors that are
determined by the angle at which light passes through or reflects from them.
Useful things in optics.

Needless to say, once the material was available for optics, the artists took
note, especially of the fact that some types of these coatings could withstand
the heat of subsequently working the glass, making it possible to build multiple
layered glass sheets or objects (like beads) with complex patterns and layers
formed by the differently colored dichro layers. What we in the arts nowcall
dichroic glass are the products that result from this use of the primary filter
type product, being used now as a decorative element. like the filters,the
colors are characterized by color shifts depending on angle of view, though in
the art pieces this may be minimized by subsequent over coats. Often thecolor
layers look a bit like metallic foils, though they are not.

Hope that helps. And I hope I don't have it totally misunderstood, too. If so,
someone will no doubt correct me... But for my part, the first time I used
dichro glass was before I'd seen it in glass blowing or glass beads, etc.I'd
found some dichro glass filters, like microscope slides except in wonderful
irridescent colors, in an Edmund Scientific surplus sale. Cool stuff. Didn't
like heat much though. I had fun heating one end edge with a torch till the
stressed glass snapped off the end in a pretty random clean wandering break. The
dichro coating would have bubbled and blistered away a bit lower than thebreak.
The resulting bit of glass was, I thought, rather decorative. I used them in
several small sculptural pieces. That was around 1987 or so...

peter