A Czech Producer Buffs Up the Bohemian Glass Industry With a Focus on Design
Employees at Verreum headquarters demonstrate how their products are made.
Source: Verreum
In a cluttered, concrete-floor workshop nearly as hot as a sauna, a half-dozen men in T-shirts and shorts glide around a glowing furnace, pulling out long, hollow wands tipped with molten glass. One by one, the workers put the tubes to their lips and gently blow, twirling the wand as the glass bubble expands, shaping the mass into a vase, a carafe, a cup, or even a small piece of furniture. “We are breathing new life into the Czech glass industry,” says Pavel Weiser, the glassmaker’s owner.
Weiser’s company, Verreum, has drawn a global following by marrying traditional craftsmanship with 21st century design and marketing. It specializes in silvered glass—handblown glassware coated with a thin film of metal. The process was developed in the 1800s for items such as candlesticks and vases but had virtually disappeared until Weiser revived it.