Anyone know if something like this would be possible? Have a coin embedded in a heavy, solid chunk of glass. Mockup below. No Chinese high relief medallions were harmed in the making of this mockup.
Alibaba could probably knock them out for you: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/FDIC-Service-coin-award-glass-paperweight_718732880.html
My heart almost stopped seeing the picture....a rare and stunning 1 kilo+ silver 2012 Snake Dance medal embedded in (previously molten) glass....you are cruel SilverPete! (Nice job with the medal reflection and close to accurate angles) There's no doubt that a piece of metal can be embedded in glass though it would have to be metal that has a higher melting point than glass of course. .
Thanks everyone. This is sounding more difficult than I expected! I was thinking maybe a technique would be to fill a square mold to the 3/4 level, then as the glass slightly solidified, carefully press the coin into the glass and pour in the remaining molten glass. For a high relief coin I'd be concerned about air bubbles if not done right. I don't want Perspex because I'd like the heft of glass... something heavy.
I think that if you talked to a glassblower about pouring molten glass into a mould and pressing a coin carefully into it his eyebrows would hit his hairline. The differing expansion properties alone would cause the thing to shatter like a bomb as it cooled, even if the coin didn't deform horribly. Air bubbles would be the least of your problems. Silver melting point is higher than glass paste used for castings, but I can't imagine that the optical properties will be good, and then there's stress again. Not for the inexperienced, even if possible.
How about two pieces of glass (clam shell) with a hole roughly the size of the coin and inject a clear resin under pressure ala windscreen chip fix??
I repair windscreens for a living, the resin i use anyway is quite similar in properties to glass, even sets harder than glass once fully cured by UV light. Encasing a coin with similar type material would be firstly very expensive and not sure how a big blob of it would actually cure when set. Even say a pool of it measuring say 2-3mm thick takes time to cure. My thoughts as to way this actually could be done, couple of thin slabs of glass... Glass can be worked, ie could be drilled and polished to certain shape/depth... Another piece of glass added to the back inserted piece for whatever you want entombed. Lot of work involved, sure there is a way to do this though!
From what i've seen so far the closest thing is something like in the link below, and those really do look nice. http://www.ebay.de/itm/Muenzrahmen-...mm-/161801434871?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368
Here's one they did back in 1845. The description below comes from the auction catalog... 1845 UK Gold Medal. Four ounces. 56 mm. By William Wyon R.A. Edge inscribed "To Jesse Hartley, ESQ R". Bust of Prince Albert bare head right (Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria), date below. Reverse: St. George and the dragon left, "Faithful and Firm" in Latin above. Personal medal presented by the Prince. Encased in glass with blue box. Very Rare. Uncirculated.
The pictures and description were saved from the auction online catalog. It is first in my most wanted list. That was the first and only time I saw an image of the medal.
Hmmm. I may have been incorrect, earlier. Apparently in the 18th Century there was a drinking glass made with a coin embedded in a knop (sic) in the stem - which appears to be a air-filled void. This was replaced by using a coin impress, but the authorities got bothered by the forging potential. It went by the radically obscure name of a 'coin glass'. So it appears to be possible - but whether it was silver or not I know not. Then Fostoria made glassware in a Coin Glass range in the late 60s (but were they real coins, or select materials?). So it might be possible, but I doubt that good optics were achieved or sought. You need to talk with a glass works. The other option is chat to a glass blower, but I wouldn't start with anything too valuable.
I know its nothing like actual glass, but a similar effect if your looking for a way to mimic the display idea (and I am actually assuming you are really wanting the weight and effect of glass, but just in case) is to use those silicon double sided frames? Took me forever to find them again as I saw them years ago but a couple of companies are calling them floating frames. It would give you a similar effect if you were wanting to display or hang on the wall and you would still be able to easily open the display to change the coin if you were wanting to sell it, or even just to change your art on the wall... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyta0-npgSs