CRYSTAL GLASS - traditional technique of cutting glass

HOW DO WE MAKE OUR UNIQUE CRYSTAL GLASS CONTAINERS

Glass is a remarkable material that has fascinated and served humankind for centuries. In the hands of an artist, glass becomes a versatile medium that allows a limitless variety of forming and decorating techniques to create objects of great beauty and functionality. Cutting, engraving, enameling, painting – to mention just a few. Our candle containers are made of crystal and cut in a traditional way that makes the glass shine like a diamond.

CUT GLASS

Cut glass is considered the noblest, as it is decorated entirely by hand. Cuts are made by talented and experienced artisans who press and move the piece against rotating metal wheels at various angles to produce a designated pattern. The pattern determines how shiny the container will become after polishing.

If you wonder how glass can withstand moving against a rotating metal wheel and not shatter – the answer is lead oxide. This is an essential ingredient that softens glass. Leaded glass is called crystal due to its noticeable clarity and brilliance. Glass can contain up to 40% of lead oxide and it determines the quality of crystal – we will discuss it next time.

MAKING LEADED CRYSTAL

Cut crystal requires a number of people who work to the highest standards of perfection to maintain the peak levels of quality of the end product. In the beginning, a mixture of special ingredients is melted to a red, hot molten glass. Every manufacturer keeps their formula a secret. After reaching a designed temperature, all impurities and air bubbles are removed in order to make the end product as clear as possible. Glass can be formed using automated equipment, however at the traditional glasshouses a gatherer would collect a ball of molten glass and blow air into it using a hollow tube called a blowpipe. Either a mould or a skilled artisan can give it its final shape. Hand making gives control over the manufacturing process which allows for creating complex shapes that cannot be made mechanically. In the last step, object is cooled down to room temperature. This process is slow, yet very important as it ensures the glass object is tough and durable. Our glass is now called a blank.

DECORATING BY GLASS CUTTING

Artisans hold the blank against a quickly rotating wheel that is covered in wet sand. Glass patterns mostly consist of various sizes and depths of cuts, which means that various sized wheels are required to complete one pattern. To avoid changing wheels, one glass object is made by a few cutters. Creating complex design requires craftsmanship and precision. This stage brings life to crystal by giving it the shimmer and sparkle only cut, faceted glass presents. It is thanks to the glass cutters that crystal objects are highly valued and in demand in many countries.

See the architecture of Crystal Candles