Glass in three states
5 min read
Clear, opal and amber: a visit to the glassworks behind the Clarion collection.
The glassworks sits at the edge of a forest in northern Bohemia. The furnaces have not gone cold in forty years.
Clear glass reveals the source. It is honest and a little theatrical — you see the filament, the socket, the whole mechanism of light.
Opal
Opal hides the source entirely. A thin layer of white glass is cased inside a clear gather, so the surface stays glossy while the light becomes a soft, even glow.
Amber
Amber warms. A trace of iron and sulphur in the batch gives the glass its colour, pulling even a cool source toward candlelight.
“Every mould here is still carved from beechwood — and burns a little with every piece.”
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