-
Laser-Engraved Bentley Snowflakes
Algorithmic snowflakes make for interesting coasters and decorations:

Snowflake Hangers – frosted But they lack the complexity of real snowflakes:

Wilson Bentley Photomicrograph of Dendrite Star Snowflake No. 842 – SIA-SIA2013-09114 – rescaled 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:

Snowflake No. 842 – SIA-SIA2013-09114 – isolated Pick a threshold level to prettify the result:

Snowflake No. 842 – SIA-SIA2013-09114 – Threshold Then engrave it into the back of an acrylic mirror scrap, so the darkest parts become most transparent:

Bentley 842 – engraved mirror – white background Which looks better when seen against an illuminated background:

Bentley 842 – engraved mirror – color background A 
Bentley 842 – engraved mirror – color background B Maybe four different snowflakes atop those squares?
Gotta get this ready for the next snow season …