Glass History

We can not define the exact date of glass origin, but, with the discovery of objects made with glass at the Egyptian necropolis, it can be assured that it is known for at least 4 thousand years.

It is also known that it was improved by the Romans who, even at that time, dominated the cutting, painting, coloring, picturing, and molding process in the blown glass.

Beyond that, it is known that, in Venice, the glass industry experienced a significant expansion and the Venetians became famous for their skill in working with glass. The story says that the venetian workers who dealt with glass were so important to Venice, that they were prohibited from travelling abroad and more tha that: all workshops and factories were concentrated on a island – Murano – next to Venice to make the control of the production easier.

Fortunately, some workers broke out of the encirclement; heading for Germany, making the glass industry quickly prosper across Europe. It is true that, according to historians, many of these workers were eventually killed, paying for their rebellion and disobedience, however there’s no historical facts that don’t credit their heroic acts. The Venetian workers can therefore be identified as the heroes of the glass industry worldwide.

For several centuries, the industry has developed and deserves record, apart from Germany who has become famous for using enameled glass and for reproducing famous drawings, England and France, which contributed to the improvement of manufacturing processes and to value the aesthetic and artistic character of pieces of glass.

The Industrial Revolution consolidated the modern glass industry and more recently, especially since the 50’s, the manufacturing technology has reached new heights with the development of new products, greater use of safety glass, glass with treated surfaces among other advances provided by the latest technological breakthroughs.