The Magic of Glass

Glass has ethereal beauty within. There is magic in glass. It is strong and it is fragile, hard, but translucent. The simplest, common materials – sand, lime, soda ash – are transformed by fire into glass: amorphous, and yet capable of taking on a seemingly infinite variety of forms. We all use it every day, so commonly that we barely take notice. And yet it is glass that enables scientists to observe distant stars and look into the most minute details of living cells, to set off colourful chemical reactions in test tubes. 

It has also allowed countless generations of artists to create objects of beauty and charm, colouring and enriching people’s lives.

Whether it is transparent or opaque, turned deep blue with the addition of cobalt, red or sky-blue with copper compounds, green or bright yellow wit iron, pink or purple with manganese, the incredibly rich array of colours, shapes, and effects makes glass truly magical.