The
range of products included under the Desná Classic label
are produced on the basis of demanding traditional procedures by
a team of experienced professionals comprising glassmakers, smelters,
cutters, technologists, metal workers. Each profession requires
years of practical experience.
The basic shape
of the product is the result of pressing or blowing. Objects with
closed shapes, most often bottles and scent bottles are blown into
metal casts by the glassmaker himself or with the help of compressed
air. Pressing is primarily used during the production of objects
with an open shape, such as ashtrays, candleholders, and figurines.
These are shaped in a press mould with the help of pressure from
hand pliers or the plunger of a handpress. The glasscutters then
give the products their final shape.
Aside from the
hand cutting of products, the frosting of products is an often-used
finishing technique. It is so delicate in many cases that it effects
a silky shine. This is the result of a chemical process that creates
an "icy" coating on the surface of the finished product.
It is not possible to accomplish this effect with the commonly used
sandblasting or etching. The combination of polished surface and
frosted embossing is used for a number of products in the Desná
Collection.
Transparent
colors also make up a special product range. The transparent colors
traditionally used for the Desná Collection have been specially
developed so that they create the anticipated optical effect on
heavy glass. For this reason they are very delicate and labeled
as so-called Jizera colors to ensure their uniqueness.
Uranium yellow
is historically the color most associated with the company's past,
since the story has been passed on that it was named as a tribute
to Josef Riedel's wife Anna. This is why it is known as Annagelb
(Anna's yellow). Its peculiarity is that it glimmers brightly under
ultraviolet light. In spite of the fact that uranium is used in
the production of this color, it is used in small concentrations
and in a form that is non-detrimental to health.
Less distinctive,
but extremely popular among experts, is noble blue, which is sometimes
known as alexandrite. This is a color that is produced using elements
of rare earth. These give the glass its special character, in that
the glass appears to be differently colored in daylight and under
artificial light.
Two other colors,
from the range of transparent glass, are both traditional and unique
to Desná. The first is water blue, which in its most delicate
shades, is light and clear like water. The second is noble green
that is characterized by its comforting turquoise tone.
Most typical
of the coloring of Jizera Mountain glass, however, are rich or opaque
colors, such as jade (green - inspired by jadeite and malachite),
lapis (blue - inspired by lapis lazuli), and in the past also turquoise
(blue-green), or opal (light beige-white), as well as others. They
often resemble natural precious stones and semi-precious stones
so faithfully that the layperson doesn't believe that it is glass
at all. The special color transitions and effects of these colors
are accomplished both by the components of the glass, and by using
special procedures in the course of production, which gives an irreproducible
and unique character to every individual piece. The perfect effect
is achieved through the delicate finishing of the surface texture
with a combination of cutting and frosting.
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