Glass blowing is the art of creating an object from molten glass by blowing air into it utilizing a tube. The glass in the oven takes days to melt (the oven is never turned off). The artisan collects molten glass onto the tip of his blow rod, being careful to accumulate just the right amount for the piece to be blown. To apply the intricate cobalt glass pattern, one craftsman rotates the blob of glass on its axis while another dabs a rod into molten cobalt and spins a thin strand of the material onto the lower portion of the piece. Each ware is then blown to the proper thickness and into the proper shape by mouth. When the glass is just right, the piece is taken out and allowed to cool.
Once the shape of the glass has been achieved, the glass is cooled. It is then sent onto the etching stations where the grape pattern is cut by hand into the glass. Different craftsmen cut the different pieces of the etching; one person etches the grapes, another person the vine and yet another person the leaves. When the glass etching is complete the, the glass is polished and sent to the painting station. Here the etchings are painted by hand, using natural luster and real gold. Once the piece is in its final shape, it is fired one more time to ensure long-lasting strength, durability and color.
