Origin And History Of Glass Making
Little is known about the origins of glass making. The earliest form of glass was perhaps created completely by nature with the intense heat of volcanoes. Called obsidian, this type of natural glass can be grey, green, orange or, as it is most commonly recognized, black in color. Manmade glass has been prominent for centuries through history as a closely guarded and highly specialized skill.
The earliest forms of manmade glass date back to 3500 BC in Mesopotamia. Manmade glass is widely considered to have been made by accident and resulted from bits of sand being left in ceramic baking kilns.Is this new to you? Catch up here The benefit of a shards of glass due to their sharpness left artisans with a skill to be built upon and developed. The first glass making manual came on the scene about 649 BC.
The art of glass making has grown over the years into more specialized lines. One in particular that is common and used to create great works of art is the enchanting art of glass blowing. Glass blowing is performed by air being forced through a long tube into the super heated glass, which is in a liquid form at this stage of the process. Colors are added, shapes are defined and the only real limitation is the artists imagination. Pieces of glass formed by glass blowing are typically artistic in nature, and not only are these pieces beautiful to look at but they are found in homes all around the world as stunning, utilitarian objects.
Today we use glass for daily needs such as cookware and storage containers, windows and doors for houses but also as protection while in an automobile or other vehicle and many other things. Every aspect of daily lives is enhanced by the use of beautiful glass and it’s many uses.