Spotlight on Cajun Glass Designs

Cajun Glass Designs is a name we’re willing to bet you’ve heard before. Cajun himself (@cajun0420 on Instagram) has been active since 1998 with his wife, Marni (@marni420), making Cajun Glass Designs a team around 2004. That’s an eternity in glass blowing terms, giving them plenty of time to establish themselves as ornate fixtures in the glass art scene. But even if you haven’t kept your finger on the pulse of glassblowing artistry, you probably recognize Cajun Glass Designs from how frequently their pieces appear in our blogs. It all seems like overkill when you see Cajun’s work in everything from spherical dab rigs to glass Sherlock pipes, all which speak volumes without our help. But as dab enthusiasts, we often feel more is more so we’re devoting this entire blog post to the impressive works of the husband and wife duo professionally known as Cajun Glass Designs. 

A Perfect Showcase for Crushed Opal Techniques

A common thread that you’re likely to quickly recognize in Cajun’s pieces is how much they love working with crushed opal. Perhaps this is most evident when presented on the otherwise uncluttered canvas of Cajun’s Crushed Opal and Color Tube Bongs. Here, Cajun uses the simplicity of solid colors to effectively contrast against and thus further emphasize the crushed opal. The form employed by these flower bongs is as functional as it is classic, alluding to the beaker bong design with an ample, stabilizing base providing a generous water chamber and long tube neck. The brilliant colored glass is presented in bold bands at the mouthpiece and base of the neck, the area where the downstem is loaded and in a circular patch at the base. Each of these tube-style bongs also includes a matching bowl piece of colored glass. The chamber uses clear high-quality Schott glass. All of this creates a stunning frame for a solid band of dazzling crushed opal that makes up the midsection of the tube. 

The Next Level of Glass Sherlock Pipes

Cajun Glass Designs carries on with the crushed opal theme on their collaborative Cajun x Marni Crushed Opal Glass Sherlock Pipes. Now, you may recognize the name Marni420 as  half of the Cajun Glass Designs duo, so how is this collaboration different from a standard Cajun Glass Designs piece? As Marni explained to us, their business itself is named Cajun Glass Designs. Cajun, who makes up half of the business, does most of the functional work with assistance from Marni. However, certain pieces in which Marni is more active in the functional work are denoted by the collaborative distinction “Cajun X Marni”. Obviously, these glass Sherlock pipes fit that criteria. Each of the Cajun x Marni Glass Sherlock Pipes we have is unique, incorporating anything from wig wags to millie and always working in liberal sections of crushed opal. Further distinguished by generous push bowls and stabilizing bases for vertical freestanding, these pieces take a quirky design like the Sherlock pipe and dare to make it something majestic. 

A Cajun Glass Designs Masterpiece

Perhaps the crowning glory of Cajun Glass Designs’ legacy (at least thus far) is the Heliosphere dab rig design; a shape instantly synonymous with Cajun’s craftsmanship. Cajun’s intimate knowledge of smoker functionality is evidenced in the pivot of the Heliosphere which recounts the tipped angle of the classic tube-style flower bangs but revolutionizes it by putting this angle on a stabilizing pedestal that does all the work for you. The heart of the Heliosphere is a glass orb chamber with three appendages: the mouthpiece, the loading area for the dab banger, and an angled, downward-facing spire that amplifies the chic style of the instantly recognizable piece. All of these attributes contribute to the iconic feel of Cajun’s Heliosphere with each unique piece being numbered. Yet, for collectible heady glass, the Heliosphere models are surprisingly affordable. 

For anyone who doesn’t believe there are theatrics and dramatic narrative in a bong or dab rig, simply direct them to Cajun Glass Designs! These Louisiana-based artisans bring class, innovation and ingenuity to every piece they touch and we’re always excited to get their work in our shop, not to mention see their pieces in other shops and collections around the community. If you get the opportunity to get your hands on an authentic Cajun Glass Designs creation, don’t pass it up!