BEGINNING WITH GLASS Glass has been around for one heck of a long time. Using a tube to blow air into a gather of molten glass or “glass blowing” is believed to have originated in Syria toward the end of the 1st century BC. With this technique, glass makers were able to stretch the art of creating glass to new levels of intricacy and beauty.The Roman Empire championed the art of glass making and as the Empire expanded, so did the popularity of glass. During the following centuries glass making spread through Europe, finding a particularly strong footing in Venice. The city became renown for its beautiful glass and held its reputation as a glass making centre during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. WHEN IS GLASS CRYSTAL?You can make pretty nice glass with some sand and a bunch of heat. Silica sand and 3,600°F heat to be more precise. But that won’t make crystal. Back in 1676 a clever Englishman by the name of George Ravenscroft was the first to add lead oxide to the mix of silica sand. The result was beautiful. A glass that offered a brilliant, sparkling appearance. Its softer quality allowed cutters to adorn it more easily. And when offered in cheers it produced a sound as pleasing to the ear as the glass to the eye. In short, fine crystal was born.
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