During the Seventeenth Century, Bohemia, in the then Austro-Hungarian Empire, was the glass making capital of Europe. Its seemingly endless forests gave the glass makers all the timber they needed to fire their ovens.
Lead Crystal: A Brief Overview.
Discovered in the seventeenth century by an Englishman called George Ravenscroft, lead crystal production involves the adding of lead oxide powder into molten glass which, is then either blow molded or pressed into shape, depending on the manufacturers preference and the complexity of the finished article. To earn the classification of Full Lead Crystal the mixture must contain at least twenty four percent lead oxide and the highest concentration achievable that will allow…
Daniel Swarovski: An Innovative Genius
In the Nineteenth century, Bohemia, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the most important manufacturing centers for both glass and lead crystal. It was here that Daniel Swarovski was born in 1862, the son of the owner of a small crystal-cutting factory.