Frequently Asked Questions
A shard frame is a picture frame built with a hollow tube or column specifically designed to hold and display the broken pieces from a Jewish wedding's glass-breaking ceremony, rather than leaving them stored loose in a bag or box. This particular frame is an 8x10 size handmade in the U.S., with one column holding your actual shards and the remaining columns filled with coordinating solid-color glass, so the finished piece reads as a designed display rather than a jar of broken glass.
Mail your saved shards to Zion Lion, and the team sets them into the frame's dedicated tube alongside coordinating solid-color columns before shipping the completed frame back to you. Because the frame is assembled around your specific shards rather than shipped pre-made, this is a mail-in process rather than something you assemble yourself at home - call the store first if you have questions about packaging your shards safely for the trip.
Plan for 5 to 8 weeks from the time your shards arrive at Zion Lion to when your finished frame ships back to you. That window covers the custom assembly of your shards into the frame alongside the coordinating color columns, so it's not an off-the-shelf item you receive immediately - build that timeline into your planning if you want the frame ready by a specific anniversary or gift date.
This frame is sized 8x10, the standard dimension most people associate with a tabletop or wall picture frame, so it fits easily among other framed photos in a home. Because it's built around glass columns rather than a flat photo opening, it functions primarily as a display piece for the shards and coordinating colors rather than a traditional photo frame, though many people display it near their wedding photos as a complementary keepsake.
Yes, it's handmade in the U.S., which means the coordinating solid-color glass columns and the overall construction will have small natural variations rather than the perfect uniformity of a mass-produced item. That handmade quality is generally part of the appeal for a piece meant to hold something as personal as your own wedding glass shards - it reinforces that the frame was built around your specific ceremony rather than mass-manufactured ahead of time.
Call Zion Lion before mailing anything in if your situation involves shards from more than one glass, so the team can walk you through what's possible for your specific order before you send your pieces. Since each frame is custom-assembled by hand, it's worth confirming details like this in advance rather than guessing, especially if you're combining shards from a vow renewal, a backup glass, or another meaningful source.