About Hand Cut Crystal Glass 3 / 5
The ability to make lead crystal glass today derives from skills accumulated over the centuries combined with experience and lots of training on the part of individual craftsmen. Todays glassmakers have inherited a craft on which their predecessors were always building. The skills required to create complex glass products and develop new techniques is a tribute to their dedication. So serious was the art taken that glassmaking schools began to be founded in the mid 19th century due to growing demand around the world.
We can only give a brief description here of how crystal is made. The first step is performed by an expert 'blower' who 'gathers' the molten glass mixture at the end of an iron blowpipe and makes the blank shape by blowing the “gather” into a rough mould. Once cooled, the blank is then sketched, cut, polished and decorated. Despite the use of modern technology (which has contributed greatly to advances in quality) manufacturing still relies on techniques acquired over the years. From the mouth blowing of the raw product, to its final hand finishing manual, skill and dexterity are absolutely essential.
1 / 5 About Hand Cut Crystal Glass
2 / 5 A brief history of lead crystal
5 / 5 Looking after your lead crystal glass