| Artisan glass refers to handblown or
| |
| | Mediterranean. Window glass was quite
|
| individually created glass items, as
| |
| | commonly used in the area by 100 BC, such
|
| opposed to items such as standardized
| |
| | as thick, translucent samples found in
|
| glass windows and other mass-produced
| |
| | Karanis, Egypt.
|
| products. Until a few hundred years ago,
| |
| | The expansion of the Roman empire and
|
| this description fit virtually all glass
| |
| | widespread trade brought glass-making
|
| products.
| |
| | technology to Europe, the British Isles
|
| Common glass contains about 70% amorphous
| |
| | and China. After the fall of the Roman
|
| silicon dioxide, the same chemical
| |
| | empire, their advanced glass-making
|
| composition as quartz and sand.
| |
| | technology fell out of use, and glass
|
| Commercial glass can be made of pure
| |
| | production declined until the seventh
|
| silica, but usually sodium carbonate
| |
| | century, when Europeans once more began
|
| (soda) and calcium oxide (lime) are
| |
| | to revive the use of glass for a variety
|
| added. Various other additives are also
| |
| | of purposes. The beautiful stained-glass
|
| used, such as lead to give glass more
| |
| | windows on European cathedrals did not
|
| "sparkle." Forms of glass that do not
| |
| | begin to be made until the 12th century.
|
| include silica as a major component are
| |
| | Venice developed into a glass-making
|
| sometimes used for fiber optic cables and
| |
| | center in the 14th century, and the city
|
| other specialized technical applications.
| |
| | became the hub of a lucrative export
|
| Metals and metal oxides have long been
| |
| | trade in dinner ware, mirrors, beads, and
|
| used to give color to glass. Brilliantly
| |
| | other luxury items. Venetian glass was of
|
| colored cobalt blue glassware is a
| |
| | unusually high quality because the local
|
| collectors' item. Glass can also be
| |
| | quartz stones used in its production were
|
| colored with minerals including iron
| |
| | almost pure silica. These stones were
|
| oxide (brown), chromium (green) ,
| |
| | ground into a fine clear sand which was
|
| manganese (purple), selenium (pink or
| |
| | blended with another locally occurring
|
| red), or combinations thereof. The method
| |
| | product called "Levant soda ash", for
|
| of heating and cooling the glass during
| |
| | which the Venetians held the sole
|
| its processing can significantly affect
| |
| | monopoly. Even today, multicolored
|
| the colors produced by these compounds,
| |
| | handmade glass beads are called "Venetian
|
| in a process whose chemistry is complex
| |
| | glass."
|
| and poorly understood.
| |
| | The Crown glass process of glass pane
|
| Lightning strikes which fuse sand can
| |
| | production was used up to the mid-1800s.
|
| leave glass trails resembling tree roots
| |
| | A glassblower would spin around 9 pounds
|
| along the path of the electrical
| |
| | of molten glass at the end of a rod until
|
| discharge. Another naturally occurring
| |
| | it flattened into a disk approximately 5
|
| glass, obsidian, has been used by humans
| |
| | feet in diameter, which was then cut into
|
| since the stone age. The Phoenicians used
| |
| | panes. Before float glass was invented,
|
| glass as pottery glaze in 3000 BC, and
| |
| | sheet glass was never completely uniform,
|
| glass beads, seals and architectural
| |
| | and in historical buildings, some of
|
| decorations found in Mesopotamia date
| |
| | these panes of slightly wavy glass can
|
| back to 2500BC. The first glass was
| |
| | still be seen. In antique shops, it is
|
| created by melting sand, producing a
| |
| | still possible to find old apothecary
|
| greenish product due to the
| |
| | bottles, each a slightly different size,
|
| naturally-occurring iron oxide in the
| |
| | produced by glass blowers.
|
| sand. Even today, commercial glass has a
| |
| | Around 1688, glass casting was
|
| slight green or blue tint, due to the
| |
| | introduced, leading glass to become a
|
| presence of these same impurities.
| |
| | common, widely used material. The
|
| Egyptians made glass beads and glass
| |
| | invention of the glass pressing machine
|
| bottles dating to 1500 BC. By 500 BC,
| |
| | in 1827 allowed the mass production of
|
| glass-making technology had spread to
| |
| | inexpensive glass articles. Handmade,
|
| Greece, and by 100 BC there were many
| |
| | irregular items are now strictly the
|
| glass-making centers around the
| |
| | purview of artists.
|
