Glass, especially Art Glass, Blown Hand-crafted Glass
Art Glass Fantastic
Some simple words of advice on how to understand common terms in the world of Glass.
Art Glass - not machine made, not mass-produced in molds or assembly lines
Flame-worked Glass - this is the proper term for glass that has been formed, shaped, squeezed or stretched by hand, when in a pliable state, i.e. when it was heated (by flame, something like a bunsen burner device) to render it soft.
Blown Glass is often used to describe all shaped glass items, although it technically refers only to hollow shapes, which were “blown” by mouth from glass tube stock, which had been heated at the closed end, and will therefor expand similar to a balloon. Such shapes can later on be cut to form vases etc.
All of these expressions cover the expression “Hand-Crafted Glass”.
Color can be introduced at different stages during the creation process, either by fusing colored glass into the starting stock, or letting color compounds fuse into the heated glass stock one is working on, or indeed by subsequent painting of finished glass articles. All of these create different effects and have their own appeal, depending on artistic application of such nuances.
The basic glass working may be inferior or superior, the starting stock of glass rod or tube can be super clean or less so, the fusion processes employed may be top notch or mediocre, the coloring may be haphazard or representative of a true work of art… all these factors come to bear on glass articles as you will see them, and try to evaluate them.
There is no guarantee of any degree that will cover all of these variables. You are on your own on each occasion, and while brand names may be helpful, generally they don’t mean a lot. Country of Origin is of some help, although too often lied about, and equally as often misrepresented by all parties involved. To believe that Murano is a magic guarantee for quality or artistic value is naive, to believe that all Chinese made product is lousy and couldn’t compete, is similarly naive. There is good and there is bad.
In today’s world and with today’s techniques almost anybody can produce great glass, anywhere in the world. If it is artistically attractive, or unique in some ways that render it a “true piece of Art Glass” depends more on who “worked it”, who “colored it”, who “designed and created the initial concept”, rather than whose name might be on it or where it was made.
Finally we believe that Sellers endeavor to stake out a position in this field, of either supplying quality items of enduring appeal, or those who conversely seek the short cuts to quick profit, and will happily forego integrity, honesty and any commitment to partnering with the buyer.
An example of fused colored glass, a great artistic design, made in a 500 year old glass-blowing facility in Germany: Blue Fighting Cock Rooster, priced at the “high end” on the relative scale of things.
This is Chinese, as nice a Hummingbird as you will find, with 22K gold trim all around, three colors painted on. Simple, yet elegant design, and it reflects in the low cost.
As beautiful a Tropical Reef Fish design as you will find anywhere, from Thailand, meticulously hand-painted after flame-working the pieces, priced in the mid-range, definitely not cheap, by any meaning of that word
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These are MINI Hermit Crabs, from Vietnam, wonderfully detailed and attractively colored, reasonably costed - find any that could compare.
We’ll let that be enough; hopefully we made the point that there is great Glass to be found in many places, and a lot of verbage is dished out meant to confuse people by claiming to be offering something special by virtue of a name, when all that matters is: What does the piece look like?
Visit our Store at Art Glass Fantastic is our eBay Store name for many more fine glass items.