Glass is everywhere in modern life, but rarely do we spend time actually thinking about what we use it for. It lets light into our homes, it is used to store food, and occasionally we’ll use it to hold some flowers. But glass has a lot more to offer than that. You can use glass […]
Top Ways To Use Glass In Your Home Continue Reading »
The holiday season is defined by shimmering reflections and refractions; light glowing softly from strung bulbs, dancing through bubbly liquid as it swirls within the crystal, and shimmering off of colourful ornaments strewn about our homes and offices. At no other time of the year is the aesthetic influence of glass on our lives so
The history of glass making is as ancient as it is rich; it has been estimated that the first man-made glass was formed around 3000BC. Since these times, the basic formula for glass; using sand, lime, and plant ash may not have changed, but the techniques for forming it have been constantly evolving. Modern glass
Blown Glass Gifts: An Age Old Tradition Continue Reading »
They say people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Well, the only thing people who live in these fine houses will be throwing is endless parties. The houses below are real marvels of glass architecture from across the globe. True exemplars of how glass can bring a lot more to the design than
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La Belle Époque, French for ‘Beautiful Era’ began in 1871 – in line with the Third French Republic the year before – and came to an end at the beginning of World War I. After the bitterness of France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War came a time of peace and prosperity, and also of great
La Belle Époque – The Beautiful Era Continue Reading »
We humans love surprises, secrets, the mystique of hidden treasure and sudden delights to the senses; it is little wonder, then, that the miniature and wearable perfume bottles of old hold such thrill and fascination for their collectors. While many of those heavily invested in collecting antique perfume bottles focus on the large (and obviously
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When searching for the ultimate gift for the special lady in your life, you need to think like she does and choose what she would choose. Chocolates, flowers, and clothes are out of the question; chocolates may make her pile in the pounds, flowers will fade away, and clothes may not fit her or she
Why Designer Perfume Bottles Make The Ultimate Gift Continue Reading »
Today, we take a dim view of imitation in the world of manufacturing. “Knockoffs” are branded unoriginal, uninspired, flimsier versions of the original. In the long-ago Kingdom of Bohemia, however, imitation truly flattered Loetz when Kralik glassworks decided to jump on the Jugendstil bandwagon in the late 1800s, mimicking the art glass techniques Loetz had
Kralik Glass: No Pale Imitator Continue Reading »
Sowerby Glass was the result of a succession of glass events. Carnival glass, famous for the iridescent oily-rainbow shimmer that dances colours wildly across its surface, was once one of the most popular forms of decorative glass on Earth, produced on every continent except Africa and Antarctica. It was beloved in the early 20th century
Diamonds in the Rough: The Rise and Fall of Sowerby Glass Continue Reading »
‘Wedgwood’ is a name that seldom needs further introduction; the word itself calls to mind elegance, the grace of scenes painted in delicate washes of cobalt blue, the translucence of fine china, white as bone, and the radiant prism of perfectly-cut crystal. Such is the legacy of Wedgwood’s astounding 250 year reign over the world
Waterford Wedgwood: 250 Years of British Excellence Continue Reading »