Fried marbles are exactly what they sound like... although admittedly, baked marbles are becoming more popular. The point being that when marbles are heated and then cooled suddenly, they fracture in a non-destructive but wonderfully sparkly manner. Here's how you do it:
- Take some marbles. Both large and small marbles will work. Flat marbles work too1. Fractures will not show up as well on dark and sold-color marbles; clear marbles work best. Warning, marbles with funky finishes (particularly those iridescent ones) may smell and possibly release toxic gasses. Use your judgement. Do not use your good pans.
- Take either a frying pan2 or a baking sheet. Baking sheets may be covered in tin foil for protection.
- Cook the marbles, as hot as is reasonable. Fry them for a good ten minutes at high heat, or bake at 400-500 degrees for about 20 minutes.
- Prepare a bowl of ice water. Use lots and lots of ice.
- Carefully drop the marbles into the ice water. The more careful you are, the less likely you are to end up in the emergency room.
- The marbles may pop and crackle a bit. When the noises stop they should be ready to take out.
Some marbles will shatter or split, but most will be webbed with a fine network of cracks that will sparkle and delight.
Fried marbles are traditionally a project for pre-teens and bored teenagers. For obvious reasons, this is falling out of fashion, and frying marbles is becoming a lost art. These days most marble-fryers are DIY jewelry makers and other hippy freaks.
Do not use these marbles to play with. Do use them as good luck charms, decorations, jewelry, or witch bottles.
Footnotes:
1. AKA vase gems, accent gems, glass globs, glass shapes, or vase fillers. I have had more luck with these than with traditional marbles.
2. You might be thinking that adding a bit of oil would speed up and even out heat transfer. It may do, but you also get a nasty film of brown oil in the finished marbles. I recommend keeping your marbles fat-free.