CiM Glass Testing: 765 Chai Ltd. Run and 204 Peachy Keen

So, a couple of weeks ago I got a new box of color samples from Creation is Messy.  I was surprised, given that there are only four new colors listed on the CiM color preview page.  Kathy usually doesn't send test samples when there are so few colors.  However, when I opened the box, there were quite a few colors bundled up, and I didn't recognize most of them.  I'm not sure if they are all new - or if maybe some of them are coming back after being out of production for awhile - or what.  But I am happy to test them, regardless!

The two colors I am testing today are not new colors - one wasn't even in the batch I just got.  But when I saw an opaque peach in the bundle (Chai), I had to bring out my stash of the transparent color Peachy Keen to put with it. So I am blogging about Peachy Keen and Chai today, because we have very few choices for peach in the 104 glass lines, and I LOVE peach.  I'll get to the newer colors soon, I promise!

CiM's Chai Ltd. Run was a color I never had a chance to try before.  I don't recall when it came out, but I do remember some of the odd lots that came from it. I am not sure which version this is, because it's just labelled 765 Chai Ltd. Run.  However, the rods are much lighter than the old version seems to be, so maybe this is one of the odd lot formulas.

At any rate, this color is a light opaque warm peach, that is lighter when melted than in rod form.  It's not a dense color, but almost has a consistency of a CiM opal.  Chai can go translucent, but not as much as an opal color does.  When encased in clear, Chai goes very very light - almost ghost-like. I prefer encasing it in Peachy Keen to bring out the deeper peach tones.

Chai is also slightly stiff, and can pit and shock a little bit if you're not careful. Make sure to melt it all the way, or it won't pull smoothly into stringer.
It can still be made into encased stringer, and looks good with Peachy Keen as the encasement, but does go a little translucent at times. 

Layering this glass in melted dots can be tricky because of its lack of density, so I recommend a couple of layers of it to make sure it doesn't wash out.

Chai can strike slightly darker if you take your time with it. The longer it's worked in the flame, the darker and warmer the color gets.

All in all, I think I like Adobe better as a choice for warm peach, but Chai isn't bad.  I prefer it over Peaches and Cream - the opal peach shade that CiM had awhile back.

The counterpart here is Peachy Keen - a color that came out at the same time as the Peaches and Cream opal, but that I hadn't tried yet (waited for a good peach opaque instead of an opal, so I could layer).  I'm happy to say that this color is not a limited run - it's in the regular line up and I hope it stays that way.

Peachy Keen is a stable, light peach color with more saturation than Lauscha Peach or Effetre Pink. It's a perfect shade of peach!

Not too stiff, not too soft, this color can burn/scum if heated too quickly. Other than that, it's a wonderful glass to work with.  It layers well, encases nicely and has a beautiful clarity and shine.

This is a great color for any time of year - especially spring and summer.  Here, I paired it with navy blue for a soft, neutral look.

You can see how the Chai goes a little translucent, especially when layered with the Peachy Keen and melted in, as is show in the bead on the far right.