Glassblowing is a difficult technique that takes a lot of patience and experience. This is how molten crystal becomes a finished object.
The quality of the raw materials is of great importance. Glass is mainly made of sand, lime, soda and potash, and the key to high quality glass is mixing them evenly, with the right particle size and density. Glass is colourless by nature; colours come from metal oxides added during the glassblowing process.
The raw materials are heated in a furnace until the batch melts. The glassblower gathers the molten glass on a blowpipe and shapes it, rotating the pipe and reheating the glass in the glory hole to keep it workable. Blowing through the pipe makes a bubble grow, the parison, which is shaped by hand and with tools.
A metal rod, the pontil, is attached to the base so the opening of the object can be shaped. When the object is finished, the pontil is tapped off and its mark is ground away. The piece then cools slowly in the annealer before it is ground and polished.
Before a piece leaves the studio, it is checked thoroughly. Because every object is made by hand, each one differs slightly in size and colour. That is the signature of true craftsmanship.
Tell us about your idea. We guide you through the whole process, from the first sketch to delivery.
