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Traditional quality, contemporary designs, unusual colors
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Traditional quality, contemporary designs, unusual colors |
FAQs About Bohemian (Czech) Crystal
Why do I hear more about French and Italian crystal than Czech? Ask your grandmother about "Bohemian" crystal. Bohemia is the old name for the Czech lands (and still the name of the western region), a part of Europe prominent in the glass trade since the 12th century. Its reputation stood above all others until 1938 when Hitler invaded, then through to the end of the war. After the WWII the communists came and forty years of Iron Curtain communism all but destroyed the Czech international reputation, churning out an export crystal of little artistic interest. Artistry was never a big thing under communism. Even so, the traditional craft remained, gritting its teeth and waiting for better times. Since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, glass plants and factories have been restituted to their original owners and many new businesses began, bringing back the art and the craft of fine crystal. The sheer joy of that artistic freedom is evident in the pride of a restored craft. A renaissance. So, that's history. What about now? Now the young people are taking over in a rebirth of the craft culture. Designers, blowers and cutters are as likely to be in shorts and Nikes as leather aprons. Yet the leather aprons are there, teaching technique, assuring quality and encouraging innovation. It's amazing to see this phenomenon, whole villages dedicated to a local industry, stuck somewhere off in the wooded and luxurious countryside of the Czech Republic. The thread was never broken, technique remained a matter of family pride and what was prevented is now blooming like a dormant garden. What makes it so affordable? Wages and the costs of raw materials in the former Eastern Bloc countries have not yet caught up with western Europe. For the time being anyway, this makes outstanding hand-crafted crystal available at affordable prices. What's the difference between crystal and just plain glass? It has to do with refining, somewhat like the difference between crude oil and gasoline or iron and carbon steel. Purity, as well as the addition of various metals, most often lead, is an identifier of crystal. But lead is only needed for crystal that will be decorated by cutting. Other metals are used for creating textures and qualities for each technique. Different substances are used to color the glass. For example, the rich ruby tone includes pure gold, which makes all red colored products slightly more expensive. High quality crystal usually has a "ring" when struck by a fingernail and is absolutely clear, hence the phrase crystal clear. Fine crystal hardens and is able to withstand more impact than regular glass, although it is more likely to chip. A crystal goblet is much less likely to shatter when it falls on the floor (but don't test this intentionally). I've heard about optical glass, what is it? Optical glass is crystal as well, but it's special because of the way it's made and the years aged, like a fine wine. Optical glass is melted and left to age for five years. During that time its crystals go through a molecular refinement, a kind of quieting down, a settling of sorts. It's reheated and left another five years. The process is repeated a third time. At the end of fifteen years, the result is optical glass. Its quality is that of extreme refraction, resulting in worked pieces that are incredible to observe, displaying all the colors of refracted light in an absolutely clear piece, often displaying rainbows on surrounding walls. While its original use was lensmaking and special mirrors, artists love to play with this material, creating one-off pieces of mystical beauty. Needless to say they are very expensive. One day we will carry those too. Is fine crystal dishwasher safe? Yes, but care must be given not to knock it around. Cut crystal is extremely hard, harder than glass and therefore more likely to chip than break. Blown colored crystal on the other hand is slightly softer and more likely to scratch. The producers suggest that it is actually better washed in dishwashers, provided you place it carefully in the basket. Most crystal will survive to become a family heirloom. Why packages of 6 glasses? It's a local industry standard. We also concluded, that it's perfect for a family of four and two guests. We also think that the producers expect people to have a few accidents, break two glasses over the years and still have a set of four. |
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