A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Tesserae | How to choose the right Tesserae for your mosaic project

A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Tesserae | How to choose the right Tesserae for your mosaic project

Tesserae

Tesserae can be anything, but like your substrate, the piece only lasts as long as it's weakest part.

Our templates are designed for 2 to 3mm pieces of tile. I use 6mm thick ceramic gloss tiles, and cut them to size.

But your options are endless.... First you must think about where you plan to display your final piece. Your tesserae needs to be able to live in that environment without degrading quickly from everyday use. 

I use ceramic gloss tiles as I like to install mine outdoors often. And I love the way the gloss shines in the sunlight as you observe the mosaic. 

 

Types of Tesserae

Stone

Marble, pebbles, granite, quartz, etc

Advantages

Extremely durable, natural range of colours, can be polished to a shine or left raw and rough

Disadvantages

Limited colour range, heavy material, really expensive materials and can be labour intensive to work with and install.

 

Tip: Stone materials are perfect for high-traffic walkways like paths or roads, because of their durable properties, they withstand the weight and friction required from materials in such highly abused areas.

Glass

Smalti, Vitreous Glass, Stained Glass etc

Advantages

Brilliant colour range, reflective, lightweight compared to stone, readily available, reasonably priced.

Disadvantages

Obviously fragile, poor quality pigments can fade in the sun.

Tip: because of transparency your substrate should be prepared to accommodate that you will be able to see it, whether that be a coat of paint, or using a pane of glass to emphasize the clarity instead.

Ceramic

Glazed, unglazed, and hand-painted.

Advantages

Affordable and widely available, water resistant when glazed, can be mass produced or handmade.

Disadvantages

Less luminous than glass and can chip over time.

Sad clown mosaic mounted on floating frame outdoor safe for sale

Metals/Mirrors/Precious Gems

Gold and silver leaf smalti, mirror tiles, gemstones

Advantages

Unique, feature pieces, can create spectacular stand out pieces.

Disadvantages

Expensive, delicate and rare

Recycled Materials

Trencadis: Broken crockery and tiles

Recycled Glass

Found Objects: Beads, shells, buttons, even plastic recyclable normally binned items.


Things to think about

-Beginner's usually start with ceramic tiles or vitreous glass due to ease of cutting.

Location:

-Outdoors (Stone, Ceramic, Durable Glass)

-Indoors (Glass, Ceramic, Mixed Media)

Style: 

-Classical (Stone, Marble)

-Byzantine /Religious Inspired (Smalti)

-Contemporary (Trencadis, Recycled)

Budget:

-Natural Stone and smalti are premium materials and are very expensive.

-Vitreous Glass and Ceramic are more affordable and readily available

 

Symbolism of Materials

There could also be a symbolic meaning to consider:

Stone: Permanence, earth, tradition

Glass: Light, divinity, transformation

Ceramic: Craft, culture, accessibility

Metal/Gold: Power, sacredness, eternity

Recycled Objects: Renewal, sustainability, personal storytelling.

 

In Conclusion

When deciding, by passion and creative inspiration. Stop and think about what you're hoping to achieve. Is it a certain look? If so, you'd be material lead. If you wanted to decorate a certain special substrate, a statue, an heirloom, a paver, a wall, something personal. Your project would be substrate lead. 

Ultimately some of you have an idea in your mind of what you want to create, you've either seen something you want to replicate, or you've been inspired to create something unique and are trying to make that vision a reality. Most people have a starting point, a step in a certain direction to achieve what they've set out to achieve. 

If you're unsure where to even take that first step, don't worry. I can help guide you there, too. We have a wonderful selection of kits that help me guide you from anywhere in the world and allows you to immerse yourself into the experience of mosaicing knowing you will be guided and directed in every way you might need to progress with confidence, you only have to follow 1 2 3 4

The Beginner's Guide to Mosaics Series

-A Beginner's Guide to Mosaics Intro

-A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Substrates

-A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Adhesives

-A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Tools

-A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Grout

-A Beginner's Guide to Mosaic Templates

-A Beginner's Guide to Create a Mosaic

-A Beginner's Guide to Making a Concrete Paver to Mosaic

-A Beginner's Guide to Preparing Plywood for Mosaic Substrate

-A Beginner's Guide to Being Creative When Designing Your Mosaic

Explore the Mosaic Learning Hub

Build your mosaic skills through the full Shimmer & Whimsy learning pathway, starting with the Mosaic Crash Course, the perfect beginner’s hub for understanding materials, tools, terminology, grout, tesserae, and a complete guide to mosaic techniques. From there, explore the Andamento Hub for movement, flow, and tile direction, then go deeper with the Andamento Masterclass and Coloured-Grout Masterclass for more confident creative control. Follow the structured course pathway through Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4, or choose the Full Course if you want the complete guided learning experience from beginner foundations through advanced mosaic-making. You can also keep exploring through The Mosaic Library, the Tutorial Videos Library, and the Full Blog Library for extra guidance, inspiration, and skill-building support whenever you need it.

If you’re ready to keep learning beyond this guide

Explore the full mosaic learning pathway through the Complete Mosaic Masterclass, beginning with the Level 1 Mosaic Masterclass for beginner foundations, then moving into the Level 2 Mosaic Masterclass for andamento, mesh method, multi-coloured grout, flow, colour theory, and creative control. From there, continue into the Level 3 Mosaic Masterclass for advanced technique, tesserae shaping, shard painting, mottling, texture, light, and material mastery, before stepping into the Level 4 Mosaic Masterclass for large-scale work, architectural thinking, installation foundations, durability, commissions, and professional artist practice. You can also deepen specific skills through The Andamento MasterClass and the Multi-Coloured Grout MasterClass, or explore the wider Mosaic Learning Hub and The Mosaic Maker’s Studio DIY Kits to pair your learning with hands-on practice.

✨ Explore More Mosaic Stories

Find the design that speaks to your season of life

Every Shimmer & Whimsy House design carries its own little world — a story of growth, resilience, love, healing, courage, or becoming. If Willow reminds you to keep caring through uncertainty, you may also love these other mosaic stories.

🦅 Wildlife, Protection & Conservation Stories

🌿 Growth, Healing & Becoming Stories

🌸 Flowers, Softness & Self-Trust Stories

🍎 Boundaries, Wisdom & Emotional Strength

🐞 Kindness, Difference & True Worth

🎭 Deeper Emotional Art Stories

🏡 Step Into the Whole Shimmer & Whimsy World

If you love story-led mosaic art, you can also explore:

Every design begins as a handmade mosaic, then grows into a world of meaningful pieces — art for your walls, objects for your rituals, gifts for people you love, and creative experiences for those ready to make something with their own hands.

There is no one right way to connect with a story.
You can hang it, wear it, gift it, collect it, carry it, or create it yourself.

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