Monday, July 13, 2009

The Bacchus Red Wine



THE BACCHUS COLLECTION

Each piece in this line of mouth-blown and hand-decorated crystal is produced individually in the European country of Romania. The Bacchus Collection appeals to the senses with its bold grape pattern and subtle gold accents. Not only is the creative process time consuming, it is also demanding. Each glass is a piece of art created by a master artisan.

Glass blowing is the art of crating an object from molten glass by blowing air into it utilizing a tube. The glass in the oven takes days to melt (the oven is never turned off). The artisan collects molten glass onto the tip of his blown rod, being careful to accumulate just the right amount for the piece to be blown. Each ware is then blown to the proper thickness and into the proper shape by mouth. When the glass is just right, the piece is taken out and allowed to cool.

It is then sent to an etching station where the grape pattern is cut by hand into the glass. Different craftsmen cut the different pieces of the etching: one person etches the grapes, another the vine, and yet another the leaves. When the glass etching is complete, the glass is polished and sent to the painting station. Here the etchings are painted by hand, using natural luster and real 24k gold. Once the piece is in its final shape, it is fired one more time to ensure long-lasting strength, durability and color.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Could we Lose a Great Art?

Could this be the end of a great Art and Talent that is unique in it's own way? I hear that the Factory that makes our Hand Blown Glassware in Romania may be going out of business. The reason I heard is because of high propane prices. This will be devastating to the beautiful glassware it produces, the end of a product that has its own unique customers.

If you’re unfamiliar with this Beautiful Art form and would like to know more, then let me provide you with a little information.


The Art of Romanian Hand Blown Glassware

Each piece in every collection of hand blown and hand painted lead free crystal is produced individually in the European country of Romania. Not only is the creative process time consuming, it is also demanding. Each glass is a piece of art created by a worker best described as an artisan. We are providing this information to give you a better idea of what goes into producing the glassware.

Glass blowing is the art of creating an object from molten glass by blowing air into it utilizing a tube. The glass in the oven takes days to melt and the oven is never turned off. The artisan collects the molten glass onto the tip of his blowing rod being careful to accumulate just the right amount for the piece to be blown. Depending on the décor of the glass, two or three artisans may have to work together on the same piece quickly before the glass cools. Each piece of glassware is then blown to the proper thickness and into the proper shape by mouth. Once the shape and thickness of the piece have been achieved, the glass is allowed to cool. If the décor requires etching, like the Bacchus Collection then the piece is then sent onto the etching stations where artisans use an etching wheel to cut the pattern into the glass.

Once etching is complete, the glass is polished and sent to the painting stations. Here artists paint the glass by hand using natural luster and real gold, if the piece calls for it. Once the décor is complete the piece reaches the final stage where it is fired on more time to ensure long lasting strength, durability and color.

Watch this Video that was taken at the Factory from GMG and sold at our Store.



These artisans work all year long to produce the quanities needed for a once a year shipment to The Georgia Marketing Group, Inc who is our supplier. We as a retailer, truly Love and Appreciate the hard work these people do. We are saddened to see the possibility of a Beautiful Art for fading away.

While it's not to late to get most of our products, take advantage of our sale if you would like to get your hands on a Great Glassware Collection.