Glass Ornament
Material: Glass, Wire, fluorescent color inside
Origin: Gablonz, Czechia
Size: 7 cm high, diameter 3,5 cm
Age: ca. 1920
Condition:
Very good condition.
Description:
Exceptional antique Christmas ornament in the form of an oval glass ball, dating from around 1920. The molded glass is decorated with geometric relief bands and filled with white color. The original metal cap with hanging loop and the lower metal fitting are preserved. Authentic age-related signs of wear and naturally developed patina emphasize the historic character of this rare and collectible ornament. Guaranteed antique – not a reproduction.
The History of Gablonz Glass Bead Ornament Production
The production of Gablonz glass bead ornaments has a long tradition. Its documented history began around 1550 in Gablonz in the Sudetenland, now Jablonec nad Nisou in the Czech Republic, and developed in close connection with the jewellery and glass industries. The first glassworks were established during this period, followed by numerous glass-cutting workshops. In countless family-run businesses throughout the Gablonz region, beads were made from glass tubes. The glass was heated over a small oil lamp, with the flame intensified by bellows, and later over a type of Bunsen burner. This method produced “free-blown beads,” shaped entirely by hand without the use of moulds or other forming tools. Later, the glass tubes were again heated over the lamp and blown into shaped beads using a bead-moulding machine developed in the region. As a rule, fathers and grandfathers were responsible for blowing the beads. Mothers and grandmothers then used their skilled and diligent hands to thread the glass beads onto wire, creating a wide variety of decorative forms and ornaments.
Today, Gablonz Christmas ornaments are highly valued by connoisseurs and have become sought-after collectors’ items.
