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10th Generation Crystal - For Sale at TARGET?



DISCOVERED IN 1674


As I look around my home, I notice a few cut glass pieces that I have collected over the years due to their color, cut, and form. I have a candlestick or two, a cake plate, a few candy dishes. I am clearly not a crystal collector, but I do admire the pieces and after researching this week on crystal (once we are out of quarantine and can get back out to the thrift shops) I will definitely be on the look out for MORE!


"Originally discovered by Englishman George Ravenscroft in 1674, the technique of adding lead oxide to glass improved its appearance and made it easier to melt using sea-coal as a furnace fuel. This technique also increased the "working period" making the glass easier to manipulate.


The term lead crystal is, technically, not an accurate term to describe lead glass, as being an amorphous solid, glass lacks a crystalline structure. The use of the term lead crystal remains popular for historical and commercial reasons. It is retained from the Venetian word cristallo to describe the rock crystal imitated by Murano glassmakers."*


According to sources, "leaded glass" first appeared in Mesopotamia, the earliest known example is a blue glass fragment from Nippur dated to 1400 BC. While glass containing lead has been around as long as humanity can remember, it was George Ravenscroft who was the first to manufacture it at scale.


KOSTA BODA (KOSTA GLASBROK) : SWEDEN, 1742 - Still cutting glass!



Kosta Boda is a Swedish glassworks founded by two foreign officers in Charles XII's army, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Staël von Holstein. It is located in Kosta, Sweden, which was named for the company. The surrounding region has become known as the "Kingdom of Crystal" and is now a tourist site attracting a million visitors annually.


From their website:


"Fine utility glassware was made here during the first 150 years of the company’s existence and comprised products such as window panes, bottles and drinkware, but also glass chandeliers and similar items. The customers included royalty, nobility and wealthy merchants who could afford the costly glassware. For a long time, the glassblowers came from Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. Many decades passed before Swedes learnt how to blow glass.


Kosta exhibited its products at the General Art and Industrial Exposition of Stockholm in 1897, but was criticized because its glassware mostly resembled items made in other parts of Europe. This gave the company the idea of employing its own designers. The idea rapidly gained ground and remains the actual foundation of the way in which the glassworks continually develops its product range.


The first designer at the glassworks was Gunnar Wennerberg, who joined the company in 1898. Many well-known artists have worked here since then, such as Sven X-et Ericsson and Ewald Dahlskog. The first female artist was Tyra Lundgren who was recruited in 1935. Many women have worked at the glassworks since then and have been very successful."


RIEDEL GLASS : BOHEMIA (now AUSTRIA), 1756 - Look for it on shelves!



The Riedel Glass Company originating in Bohemia began with Johann Cristoph, born in 1673. He journeyed all over Europe trading glass. The earnings from the business justified the long, arduous and dangerous travels, but in 1723 he was tragically murdered, leaving his wife and three sons.*


Johann Carl Riedel, 2nd generation (1701-1781), in 1723 he married Anna Elizabeth from a wealthy glass family and they brought 11 children into the world, with only two surviving into adulthood. Johann Carl left his eldest son Johann Leopold to manage the glassworks in between 1766 and 1769. Riedel is a 10th generation family run/owned company! When you see Reidel wine glasses in HomeGoods or even on the shelves at Target... know you are purchasing a part of crystal history!


GUS CRYSTAL : RUSSIA, 1756 - Still in production



Gus Crystal is a Russian crystal manufacturer. The company is the oldest surviving manufacturer of Russian crystal and was founded in 1756 on the Gus River. The company gave its name to the town of Gus-Khrustalny and its district. According to Travel Advisor, you can tour Factory Gusevskoi Crystal and view some of the most classic examples of Russian cut glass.


In 1756, the merchant Akim Maltsov began the construction of a glass factory on the Gus River. Later, it turned into the Gusevskoy Crystal Factory and a town with the name Gus-Khrustalny grew around the factory.



1765 - PRESENT


Recognizing crystal as a home decor design element having survived throughout the centuries should (in my opinion) highlight the many glass blowers, designers, and cultivators of the art form. As a mater of fact there is SO MUCH history on crystal, if you have time today to go through this list of manufactures I strongly encourage you to do so! While many of these are not as recognizable as say Baccarat or Reidel, I am sure several will stand out. I would love for you to share with me your collections on Instagram, as I regularly share and feature accounts during the corresponding week I am writing about! Let's see what you have got!


CRYSTAL MANUFACTURES TIMELINE, Around the World



These are by far not ALL of the crystal manufactures out there, but seeing them listed and taking the time to learn more about the crystal by region was fascinating!


Next time you are out and about and see some of these popular logos, insignias, or etched markings - know you will know where they came from!







* Resources:

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