Monthly Archives: June 2010

Glass Enamel Jewelry Lasts Forever

Posted on by
Reply

Glass Enamel Jewelry Lasts Forever

Probably the leading edge of fashion-forward designer jewelry, both on the alternative and modern fashion designer scene, glass enamel jewelry has become one of the most sought-after varieties of original glass jewelry of recent years. Many glass enamel jewelry pieces are handcrafted and created using specially designed materials and logos, making them not just handsome jewelry pieces but also one of a kind collectible ornaments.

The glass enamel process makes each designer jewelry piece unique.

Glass enamel jewelry artisans use a variety of creation and manufacturing techniques, but all require using metal, enamel paint, and a special kind of kiln that fuses the glass and enamel pieces together. The artist creates the particular glass jewelry design through the process, delicately applying the enamel paint much as a painter applies paint to a canvas. Once fired through the kiln, the glass enamel creation is then allowed to cool, so that the surface texture takes on any one of several different textures and finishes.

It’s important to consider too that the finished glass enamel jewelry piece is non-toxic, but also sturdy enough to last for years and years. They vary in size, though most glass enamel designer pieces are typically the size of a glass pendant.

The ancient glamour and traditions of glass enamel jewelry

rhinestone jewelryGlass enamel jewelry artisanship is actually an ancient practice, going back at least far as the times of Ancient Egypt. The Roman Empire also practiced its trade both for home and personal decoration, as did the ancient Greeks. Many pieces of glass enamel artwork from each civilization, having lasted thousands of years thanks to their durable construction and resilient ingredients, are now on display in museums the world over.

Glass enamel jewelry fits a variety of lifestyles.

Glass enamel pendants, necklaces, and brooches make great heirlooms because of their durability. They also make an ideal form of jewelry for those that enjoy the outdoors and for young adults just starting to collect and refine their own sense of style.

Many glass enamel jewelry pendants are fastened with a durable nylon lanyard, so maintenance and resizing takes on 1000 ly seconds. The straps are adjustable and fit any size male or female neck.

Glass enamel jewelry, especially the handmade variety, often comes in designs and patterns that reflect and express a more spiritual lifestyle. These designs could range from the traditional sign of peace to Buddhist and Christian symbols of life and resurrection. The designs of each piece vary among artists and even among product lines.

How to find the right glass enamel jewelry style.

Glass enamel jewelry has traditionally been available only through exclusive arts and crafts galleries and sometimes by mail order catalogs. Increasingly, many hand-crafting designer jewelry artists are making their work available online. Before purchasing, it’s a good idea to check their shipping rates and policies, so you can be sure your piece will arrive in good condition. As durable as glass enamel pieces are, you do want to take precautions to make sure your order arrives exactly as you saw it in the catalog.

By: Scott Cable

Glass Blowing Hand Blown Glass Vases

Posted on by
Reply

 A History of Glass Blowing and Hand Blown Glass Vases

Glass blowing is an art form that has been around for a long time, but interest in it died down until the 1960s, when it underwent a renewal. There are lots of quality artisans blowing glass objects of all kinds. From hand blown glass vases to ornaments and other items, there are lots of options available for decorating your home. There’s a real difference between hand blown and machine made art glass, so make sure you know what you’re getting. Let’s take a look at where these beautiful objects came from.

Blowing glass has been around for a long time – probably since about the first century BCE. Evidence has been found in a waste heap from Syria that suggests that people were blowing glass. However, it didn’t get a lot of attention until the craft was mastered in Venice during the late medieval era. Workers on the Island of Murano learned how to make high quality hand blown glass vases, goblets, globes and other items. Many incredible fine glass pieces came from this era and location, and the Venetian government actually forbade the workers to leave the island, rewarding them instead with titles of nobility.

Glass Blowing Hand Blown Glass VasesHolland and Germany were also working with glass during this period, but they weren’t focusing much on blowing it. Instead, these countries became masters of glass engraving. The world of glass blowing changed relatively little between the seventeenth century and the twentieth, strangely enough. However, by the 1960s, interest in glass blowing as an art, rather than a mechanical process, was renewed. It started with professors at the Toledo Museum of Art, who held workshops to experiment with the art form, and only a few years later Dale Chihuly, world reknowned artist, came onto the scene.

With all these new artists coming into glass blowing and creating abstract sculptures, hand blown glass vases and more, this became one of the fastest growing art forms in North America. All kinds of glass blowers are producing beautiful work in all kinds of sizes and shapes, and there’s a good chance that someone is working in your area. Whether you prefer deep blue cobalt glass, green glasses, or swirled and painted glass, there are pieces you’ll love.

Antique hand blown glass is also popular with collectors. This glass can come in all kinds of decorative shapes, sizes and patterns, and is extremely valuable to the right person, making it a good investment for some. Glass objects are like having jewels of your own, whether large or small, cylinder shaped, rectangular, round or square. So, no matter who you are, you should check out your options in hand blown glass vases and other decorative objects. Art glass items are hot right now, and you’ll need to get them while they’re still available.

 

 

 

 Glass Blowing Hand Blown Glass Vases

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hand Blown Amber Multicolor Sommerso Teardrop Art Glass Vase withHand Blown Amber Multicolor Sommerso Teardrop Art Glass Vase with Angled Lip 10″ tall: Luxury Lane: The hand-blown craftsmanship of the Sommerso technique gives this and all Sommerso vases a strikingly smooth look. The translucent nature of the vase allows light to pass through the outer layers of the glass, illuminating the colorful center. The detailed artistic process of glass blowing causes slight variations in each piece making no two pieces identical.Hand Blown Art Glass | Antique Cut Glass CollectiblesHand Blown Purple, Blue, & Green Sommerso Teardrop Art Glass Vase with Angled Lip 9.5 tall $37.99. The hand-blown craftsmanship of the Sommerso technique gives this and all Sommerso vases a strikingly smooth look.Have You Ever Heard of Functional Glass Art Or Seen a Glass PipeIf you want the best in functional glass art, then blown glass is the answer. In Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Spain, glass blowing is still prevalent. You can get some wonderful glass vases and glass light fittings in a.

 

 

Blown Glass Art Growing Hobbies In North America

Posted on by
Reply

 Blown Glass: They Do Still Make It Like They Used To

Blown art glass is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America… and it is about time. Glassblowing has been around since 27 BC in Syria, though the first evidence of manmade glass products occurs in Mesopotamia in the late 3rd century BC. But the advancement of actual "blowing" glass using a tube transformed the materials usefulness. The new technique quickly spread throughout the Roman world.

Harvey Littleton, a ceramics professor, and Dominick Labino, a chemist and engineer, are credited with starting the most recent "studio glass movement" in 1962. The two held workshops at the Toledo Museum of Art. This is where the current method of melting glass in a furnace for use in blown glass art was originated. Thus, Littleton and Labino are credited with making molten glass available to artists in private studios.

Blown Glass Art Growing Hobbies In North AmericaThe actual process of preparing the glass for blowing is very involved though. The glass is melted in furnaces using the sand, limestone, soda, potash and other compounds. The actual transformation of raw materials into glass takes place well above 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.

After the glass has melted, the artist uses a blowpipe to shape the glass. The blowpipe is about five feet long and is used for blowing a parison of molten glass. Molds are used to impress decorative patterns.

There are two types of modern glassblowing but offhand glassblowing is the type most people picture in their mind when they think about this kind of art. The artist gathers a glob of fused glass at the end of a hollow tube called a blowpipe or blowing iron. The molten glass is then fashioned into its final form by various techniques of blowing and shaping with hands, tolls and molds. The second kind of glassblowing is lampworking. Lampworking is the softening of a glass tube by heating it in the flame of a torch. Next, the softened glass is manipulated into its final form by blowing and shaping with hands and tools. Any number of things can be created using either technique; sculpted animals, ashtrays, vases, aquarium pieces, beads, paper weights, perfume bottles…the list goes on and on. Moreover, practically every major part of the world at one time or another in its history has been known, in some part, for its glass art. However, Mexican glass art is the most popular.

Mexico is the land of the master craftsman. Known throughout history as being expert potters, weavers and wood carvers, Mexican artists have really made their mark as glassblowers. Beginning in 1542 in Puebla, these artists produced glass items in a variety of shapes with little more than a long pipe and a glob of melted glass. Experienced Mexican glass blowers will even add effects as small bubbles, blobs of color or pebbles to their finished to pieces to make them stand out.

Authentic Mexican glass is easily identified by a ponti, or a place at the bottom of the finished product that indicates it was mouth blown. Another feature of Mexican glass is its individual nature. No two pieces are ever exactly alike in size, shape or design, which simply adds to the unique nature of each piece.

But the most unique detail about this glassblowing is how little it’s changed since its inception. For the most part, glassblowers are still producing beautiful works of art the same way they did back in 27 BC…melted glass and a metal tube. This is one instance where my grandpa was wrong. In the case of glassblowing, "They are still making them like they used to."

 

 

 

Blown Glass Art Growing Hobbies In North America

 

 

 

 

 

Blown Glass: They Do Still Make It Like They Used ToBlown art glass is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing hobbies in North America… and it is about time. Glassblowing has been around since 27 BC in Syria, though the first evidence of manmade glass products occurs in Mesopotamia.Blown glassBlown art glass is quickly becoming the fastest-growing hobbies in North America, a … Now is the time. Blowing about 27 years BC, in Syria, even if human-induced glass of the first evidence that in Mesopotamia took place in the late.Glassblowingin addition to glassblowing as an art, many individuals pursue glassblowing as a hobby. in fact, it is one of the fastest growing hobbies in north america. note: bronze eagle sculpture. cast iron vase. hid proximity card.


Crystal Cut Hand Blowing Glass

Posted on by
Reply

Cut Crystal And Hand Blown Glass Of European Quality Insures A Cherished Gift

Quality cut crystal from Europe can be a treasure trove for the discerning buyer. Exquisite hand blown glass and cut crystal manufactured by master craftsmen in the Slovak and the Czech Republic is now becoming more available to the western market. Today, cut crystal of anniversary gift and heirloom quality is just one of the many glass products to choose from.

Although the Czechs and Slovaks are not the only skilled glass producers in Central Europe, few rival them in artistic range and expertise. Hardly a street in Prague is without a shop window that displays luxury cut crystal or fine hand blown glass. Visitors and tourists find breath-taking works of art exemplified in hand cut crystal and mouth blown glass.

Crystal Cut Hand Blowing GlassIn Bohemia, the craft and art of glassmaking goes back over 600 years. Often a family tradition, the craftsmanship of glass is highly specialized from artwork to glassworks production. Today, Czech glass is still one of the European heirloom treasures to look for and select that "perfect unique gift."

After the collapse of the Communist Socialist system in 1989, state ran
glass factories in Czechoslovakia started down the path of privatization. More and more, they became free to make their own business decisions on which kind of glass they wished to produce and offer to market. Importers from the West also have more choices on goods and glass manufacturers as they are no longer required to go through state specified channels. The result has made world-class custom glass products from Bohemia, readily available to the world economy.

Collecting glass is an obsession to some. Locating and acquiring antique glass collectibles can be as exciting as finding new heirloom cut crystal from the shops of master craftsmen. From crystal chandeliers to colored decorative glass, Czech and Slovak pieces have become more sought after as centuries pass.

Heirloom crystal pieces can be cut to look like a faceted diamond in appearance. Leaded crystal is not the only top grade cut glass, some of the most elegant and expensive cut glass, in the world, contains no lead in it at all. Quality is reliant on the manufacturer and skill of the craftsmen rather than the type of glass produced.

Glass gifts are part of the civilized 1000 culture. Royalty often designated custom decorative glass pieces be made for occasions. Today, cut crystal has not lost its allure. Anniversary glass gifts can be cut crystal pieces or hand blown items. Cut crystal is selected for any anniversary year, but very often the 25th Anniversary gift and again for the 50th Anniversary present. Culinary and kitchen items have become popular for glass gifts of distinction. Gourmet kitchens often show off imported olive oil and aged vinegar, in hand blown decanters and cruets. Recently in vogue are glass-within-glass decanters of oil and vinegar. Their unique quality lends them to be an exceptional gift of European style and design.

By: James Zeller

 

 

Crystal Cut Hand Blowing Glass

 

 

 

 

Hand Blown Art Glass  Antique Cut Glass CollectiblesThe mouth blown piece is hand finished in the studios of Europe’s foremost glass artisans. Stand alone on a table for a striking centerpiece, or pair the versatile color scheme with other crystal pieces in your collection.Cut Crystal and Hand Blown Glass of European Quality InsuresHardly a street in Prague is without a shop window that displays luxury cut crystal or fine hand blown glass. Visitors and tourists find breath-taking works of art exemplified in hand cut crystal and mouth blown glass.Crystal Chandeliers For Your HomeOther common and popular building materials for chandeliers include shell, metals, and ordinary blown glass. Aside from brass and wrought iron, a currently well-received trend as been the use of chrome. And then there are rustic … The best crystal chandeliers [http://www.chandelierwarehouse.com/all-chandelier-lighting/] blend in with their surrounding seamlessly and elegantly. The use of lead oxide glass for modern chandeliers, whether cut by hand or machine,