1. The customer provides Shiro Designs with a copy of the Japanese family crest (kamon). Options and styles available can be discussed.

2. Shiro Designs will study the kamon to determine the difficulty in drawing and hand cutting the design in glass. Creating a glass kamon is a highly labor-intensive procedure and great care and attention must be used throughout the process. The copy of the kamon is reviewed for irregularities that may require the design to be refined or redrawn, depending upon its intricacies.

3. A thick adhesive-backed stencil material is applied to the glass. The redrawn kamon design is transferred to the stencil material as a pattern. The pattern is carefully hand cut using only a razor blade. It is imperative that there are no errors since mistakes cannot be corrected in the stencil after it is cut. Portions of the cut kamon pattern are removed to expose bare glass that will be carved with a deep relief. All other areas must be thoroughly masked to prevent unwanted damage.

4. Unlike some commercially-made art glass in which etched designs are produced by an acid etch solution, silk screen faux etching or fine sand frost, Shiro Designs art sculptures are created by carving into the glass using a high-pressure sandblasting process. A Shiro Designs kamon art sculpture takes on a stunning and impressive three dimensional quality. As light passes through the sculpture, the brilliance of the carving breathes renewed life into a beautiful family crest from the past.

5. Photo frames go through a similar process; however, only Japanese characters (kanji) and specific Shiro Designs motifs are available. Family crests are not produced on photo frames.

6. Price is determined on each individual sculpture, based on the intricacy of the kamon design, how much refining will be required, the difficulty in hand-cutting the stencil and the sandblasting process.