Just found some COOL info I wanted to share with you!
What’s Czech Glass Beads?
Have you ever stood before a WALL of “Czech” glass beads at a show or bead shop and wondered what the heck they were? And how do they compare to the other million beads on the other wall?
Well, I’ve got the tantalizing answers right here, courtesy of Beadazzled! Here’s the low-down on those Czech glass beads you’ve probably pondered about!
Cool Czech Glass Bead History
Czech glass beads date back to ancient times, when as early as 250 BC, artists were making glass beads in Bohemia, now part of what is called the Czech Republic. In the 900s (AD), handmade glass beads were highly valued and placed in graves. (Probably as talismans or good luck.)
Bohemia was the center of glass making. (My mother’s family was from Bohemia!) Bohemia was an ideal location for glass making largely because it was rich in the natural resources needed. Supplies of quartz, which were mined there, and potash, a by-product of the wood burned to heat the glass, both came from this region’s thick forests.
By the 1860s, the Czech bead industry had surpassed its rival, Venice. (Amazing!)
Murano, Italy seemed to be known more for millifore beads and glass blowing. About this same time in Bohemia, manufacturers were going in a different direction with their glass, developing special molds and machines to produce pressed-glass beads.
Czech pressed beads, such as wedding, Vaseline, and “cherry tomato” beads, were extremely popular in Africa. They were used for traditional ornamentation. (I thought the Africans made all their own beads?)
So what happened?
Czech bead-making suffered setbacks because Czechoslovakia became the spoils of two world wars and was constantly being divided up and under new rule for decades. With the Great Depression and Communist rule, it’s a miracle the glass industry survived at all.
Today, finally under a free democracy, the industry has been revived, and Czech bead makers are again excelling as world leaders in bead manufacturing.
Wanna know what a ‘Druk’ Bead is? Be sure to check out my Blog/newsletter post! I’ll be sharing what the different types of Czech beads are! :)
Now for some of my own recent Czech glass history below!
Chocolate Sundae, Strawberry & Raspberries…Yummmm!
Chocolate Cupcake & Raspberries…too gorgeous to eat!
Chocolate & Strawberry Ice Cream Cone…it’s even melting!
Chocolate Heart with Pink Roses…the classic chocolate candy!
~I’m going to be leaving desserts, soon. If anyone wants anything special, just email me and let me know~
Have A Super Sweet Day! :)
Patsy
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