How Do You Know?: Some Characteristics of Hand Blown Glass

By this point, you know that hand blowing glass is a complex and technical art that requires specialized training and skill. With that in mind, it should be pretty easy to distinguish hand blown glass from other types of glass, right? Here we have some of the unique characteristics that make hand blown glass a true treasure.

• Pontil marks, also called pontil scars or punt marks, are left on pieces of hand blown glass. This is a glass blowers way of “signing” his work. 
• Slight irregularities are common in hand blown glass, as well. After all, the human hand is not as precise as a machine. But isn’t that the beauty of hand blown glass? Slight irregularities give hand blown glass a truly distinctive charm that you can’t get any other way.
• A large number of hand blown glass pieces contain small air bubbles. The bubbles get trapped inside the heated glass during the blowing process, and they stay there. It’s a matter of taste -  but it’s certainly something that helps some hand blown glass pieces stand out.

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Hand Blown Glass: A Proud and Time-Honored Tradition

Our passion here at Anchor Bend Glassworks is making beautiful hand blown glass pieces. And with that in mind, we’re proud to be part of a long and time-honored tradition. You see, hand blown glass is nothing new. In fact, the art of making glass actually originated sometime around 2500 BC in Mesopotamia. And all these centuries later, we’re still just as intrigued and impressed by the craft.

Handmade glass started as something primarily for practical use, but it entered the “decorative” sphere somewhere around 50 BC with the Romans. Ancient glassmakers in this time wrapped molten glass around a clay frame. 

During the Middle Ages, stained-glass windows really came into the fore. Fun Fact: The Venitian Glassmakers Guild was founded during this time in order to protect the art and prevent fires from the hot furnaces.

By the time the 18^th and 19^th centuries rolled around, glassmaking became more of an industrialized process – hearkening back to its practical roots. Luckily for us, glass reemerged as a popular art form in the 1960s, and is still going strong to this day.

Experience the joy of hand blown glass art with the pieces at Anchor Bend Glassworks. We’re so proud to be part of this long tradition.