Luxury Glass Makers of the World

I have been collecting amazing pieces of glass for about fifteen years now. What fascinates me is the skill of the blowers. From a base of silica that is mixed with a flux that is then melted the almost fluorescent colours rise. It has to be said that some of the finest pieces I have are from Murano, some I have bought on the Island myself, some have been given to me (lucky me:)).

It is interesting, going back to my first blog about luxury and department stores, the more I think about it the more obvious it is becoming. Department stores like Selfridges and Harrods used to sell quite a lot of Murano glass by Salviati, Cenedese and Carlo Moretti. No longer, as these department stores loose their luxury lustre and focus on luxury brand diversification it is left to the smaller specialist stores like Vessel in London to showcase the work of the craftsmen. To be honest, a smaller specialist store is probably a better outlet for such amazing pieces of glass. For those who are interested I thought I would share one of my favorite pieces. The blue, orange, black and white stripes of this Salviati vase are put together using the Canna (cane) method and mouth blown into a wooden mold. This is what Salviati say on their website 'the Canna is a piece of either transparent or opaque glass that has been drawn out into a long stick (or cane). Segments of canes of various lengths and colors are laid out on a flat surface in a decorative pattern and are heated in the furnace'. For some reason the elongated vase reminds me of Brancusi's Bird in Space.

www.salviati.com

www.cenedesegino.it

www.carlomoretti.com

www.vesselgallery.com

what is luxury?

Department stores are amazing places. These cathedrals of consumption cater to anyone who loves to shop. You can find almost anything you want, from a pack of chewing gum to a diamond necklace. Both could be considered to be luxury items depending on whose buying them.

But my interest is in luxury goods that I like to define through materials, manufacture an educated view and the skill of the maker. I also often think, that when buying a luxury good, access to the maker, the design process and being able to participate in what would undoubtedly be an amazing learning experience is an integral part to acquiring a luxury product. The question I ask myself is... Is a department store a place to buy luxury goods, where what they sell is generally mass produced and mass consumed?

My intention is to look at design, materials to try to identify differences between luxury branded products and luxury goods. A challenge to say the least!