# I'm making a collectible limited-edition Ruby stained glass panel

> After talking with Jeremy Smith and Jess Brown on the IndieRails podcast about stained glass and how I transitioned to programming in Ruby, I’ve had this crazy idea that I could tie the two together in a weird project. Well, here goes nothing!

Published on 2026-06-01 by Rémi Mercier.
Original: https://remimercier.com/ruby-stained-glass-notes/

After talking with Jeremy Smith and Jess Brown on the [IndieRails podcast](/indierails-pocast-interview/) about stained glass and how I transitioned to programming in Ruby, I’ve had this crazy idea that I could tie the two together in a weird project.

## It started with a joke

I’ve joked with people at [Rubycon Italy](/what-about-the-juniors/) about building a collectible, limited-edition stained-glass panel that would honor Ruby. All the people I met during that conference showed a deep appreciation and a strong emotional connection to Ruby. So when I joked about the stained glass, many of them were quite excited about it. Then I talked about it some more with more people when I got back in France, and they too were excited.

So I've decided to promote this as a valid side quest for 2026 and build it! An *actual* Ruby-inspired stained glass window!! How cool is that?

I’ll work through the entire process in public and document it as I go.

## The current plan

My goal is to make a super limited-edition piece, not to go back to stained glass full time. So I need to work out the feasability of this project first.

To do that, I'll need to:
- [ ] Find a cool design.
- [ ] Buy materials and tools.
- [ ] Build a test panel to get a better grasp of the difficulty and the time required to build it.
- [ ] Price it (including materials, time, shipping).

## Want some physical pixels to show the world you love Ruby? 

If that's something you'd like to see in the world, I’ve set up a dedicated mailing list – think pop-up newsletter – so you can follow along (and you'll be the first to know if/when the sale officially opens).

<img height="50" src="/assets/media/shared/pink_arrow.png"/>

## The first episodes are live

Here's the list of my weekly notes on the project:
- [Ruby Stained Glass Notes #01: This idea cost me an ice cream](/this-idea-cost-me-an-ice-cream/)
- [Ruby Stained Glass Notes #02: Ideas are cheap. But glass? Not so much.](/ruby-stained-glass-notes-02/)

## A quick FAQ

**When would this be available?**

I don't have a firm date yet, but Q3 or Q4 2026 seems like a reasonable timeline.

**Would you make them yourself?**

Every panel would be handcrafted by me. I've been working with stained glass for years and this project is a direct extension of that craft.

**Would you ship internationally?**

I'd love to. Shipping comes with challenges though, so I'll be as upfront as possible if any restrictions arise.

**How much would it cost?** No ideas for now. It’d depends on materials, production and shipping. But I'd expect it to be on the collectible side of prices rather than cheap.

**How many panels will be made?**

No hard number yet, but probably 20-ish top! The edition will be strictly limited. Once they're gone, they're gone. No second print run.

That's it for today! See you in the next exciting episode.