Mosaic Art Source - smalti faqs

Smalto definiton (pl. smalti) - smalti is characterized by its dazzling range of brilliant opaque colors.  Smalti is prepared by adding crystalline material (corpo) and coloured material (anima) to the colourless or coloured fused glass. Smalti is literally available in thousands of colors, is a very stable glass, easy to cut and very durable.

How big are smalti pieces and how many pieces do I need to cover a square foot?

We stock Orsoni smalti in the A cut, each piece is approximately 5/8" x 3/8" x 3/4".  To cover 1 square foot, we would suggest ordering 3 pounds which does allow for some waste.

How many pieces of smalti are in 1 pound?

There are approximately 180 pieces of smalti per pound.  The quantity does vary as each piece is hand cut, in fact, no two pieces are alike.

Do you stock smalti in B cuts?

We don't stock the smalti B cuts at this time, however we would be happy to special order them for you.

How big are smalti B cuts?

The smalti B cut is approximately 2" x 2", each piece is irregularly hand cut therefore sizes do vary.

I don't see a color that I have ordered from Orsoni in the past, can you order it for me?

We certainly can, Orsoni has literally thousands of smalti colors available. If you can supply us with a stock number or a sample we'd be happy to special order it for you.

Which side is up?

Good question!  Traditionally smalti was laid riven (cut) side up, but modern mosaicists will tell you anything goes... to quote Sonia King "whateverworks"!