Blown glass is a beautiful and intricate art form that is fascinating to learn about. At the Clay Coyote we sell blown glass, specifically paperweights, and we’d like to share with you the history, process, and what we have available for you.
HISTORY
Blown glass paperweights began being produced around 1845 in France. But it wasn’t until the middle of the 20th century that they started to become more popular in the United States. There are a couple different styles of paperweights.
– Millefiori is an Italian style that means “thousand flowers.” As you can imagine, they contain cylindrical colored rods that resemble flowers.
– The Lampwork style means it has flowers, animals, fruits, insects, and other objects made from glass pieces inside the paperweight.
– The California style contains paintings on the outside of the paperweight with colored molten glass.
There are many other styles, but these happen to be the most common. Paperweights are made to fit in the palm of your hand and to be viewed in various directions to see different colors and patterns. Most of the paperweights have a dome-like shape so they can be viewed easily from any direction and allows for the design to change at each direction.
PROCESS
Here is a video on the art of making Lampwork style of blown glass paperweights
At the Clay Coyote, we have a few artists in the gallery that sell blown glass paperweights. Those include Karg Art Glass, Hot Glass Alley, Glass Eye Studio, and Joshua Fradis, and a few more. Prices can range from $35 – $115 depending on the size and materials used in the paperweights.
Come browse the beautiful handmade glass we have in the gallery. The pictures just don’t do justice to seeing and feeling them in person.
We are open everyday Monday-Saturday 10-5pm and Sundays noon-4pm. We hope you fall in love with the raw beauty blown glass has to offer.
