Laser-Engraved Bentley Snowflakes

Algorithmic snowflakes make for interesting coasters and decorations:

But they lack the complexity of real snowflakes:

That’s from the Smithsonian collection of the Wilson Bentley snowflake photos from back in the 1890s, all of which are CC0 = Public Domain images.

So pick a nice image, say #842, clean it up a bit, and isolate the flake from the background:

Pick a threshold level to prettify the result:

Then engrave it into the back of an acrylic mirror scrap, so the darkest parts become most transparent:

Which looks better when seen against an illuminated background:

Well, I think it does:

Maybe four different snowflakes atop those squares?

Gotta get this ready for the next snow season …