7 Letters came into being in December 2018 perhaps by accident. In the fall of 2018, Gina attended a stained-glass session hosted by her now business partner, Casey Clark. At the time, Casey is the owner and operator of Off the Wall Arts, an art studio in Charleroi, PA that holds “paint & sip” events, teaches pottery, hosts kids summer art camps and much more.
Casey had brought in an instructor to teach the 5-week class. Gina quickly discovered that her favorite part of the doing stained glass, is cutting the glass. She says that the pleasure you get from that perfect cut is quite satisfying. That when you get the right cut, you can hear it, and then the glass snaps so effortlessly.
One evening after class, Gina was in in the studio and started just cutting random pieces of glass. There was a lot of leftover glass. At that moment, Gina realized what a stress reliver it was and how it calmed her after a stressful day of work. After she had cut around two dozen of random shapes she thought surely there is something that she could make from these remnant pieces.
Casey agreed, and they knew they were onto something. All the leftover glass, that otherwise would be go to the recycling bin, could be made into art. Casey picked up one of the pieces and looked it over and said, ‘this would make a great necklace.” They then took a few of the cut pieces and developed a process that took a rough cut to a finished product. They hand-cut the glass, then grind the pieces until smooth. After that, they wrap and solder, then polish to complete the necklace components.
After this night, they began to do “pop-up” events at several locations around the area. From there, they distributed their wares in stores. You can now find 7 Letters necklaces in Vintage & Vines in Belle Vernon, Chaney’s Natural in Monongahela, and Travelintrader in Cecil Township.
They have since gone beyond necklaces and have done a ton of orders for many holidays. They have done hearts for Valentine’s day, eggs and crosses as sun catchers for Easter, and shamrock designs for St. Patrick’s Day. Also added to the mix have been bumblebees, dragonflies, sunflowers, and seashells. If you don’t see something you like, you can even place a custom order for their magnificent products. Their beautiful, one-of-a-kind creations are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
To find out more, make a purchase, or place a custom order, connect with 7 Letters on Facebook. Send Gina a message and she would be more than pleased to snap some glass for you at the end of a long stressful day.
