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How many places in the world do the true hand crafts continue to
exist? Wood carving in Thailand, weaving in Peru and some remaining
parts of Ireland and, of course, the incredible hand made carpets
of Turkey and Iran. Here in the Czech Republic, our glass craftsmen
join that select few and share with them a heritage that spans the
centuries. Be part of it and set your table or enhance your office
or home with fine crystal, the presentation gift of kings for 400
years during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Those days are gone, but
the crystal remains. Give a gift with history, a choice that comes
from the talent of the human hand and one that will be appreciated
for its speciality, whether that gift is for a treasured friend
or yourself. A gift for yourself? Why not? Who deserves it more? Take a moment to understand our crystal pedigree. At the end of
17th and the beginning of the 18th century, the major reputation
and world recognition of Czech glass was achieved. By the end of
18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, English, Irish and French
lead crystal began to compete with Czech glass. Lead crystal was
glass with a high content of lead and very suitable for cutting,
as it was softer, heavier and attained an extremely high luster. Czech glassmaking held its dominance through the early 20th century
and until the Nazi invasion of 1938, when world markets disappeared
in the smoke and ruin of World War Two. Shortly after the end of
that war, Czechoslovakia slid silently behind the Iron Curtain,
not to be heard from again until the Velvet Revolution of 1989 and
the subsequent separation from Slovakia. |
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