The Best European Glass Ornaments

The Origins of Glass Ornaments

The first written record of glass Christmas tree balls dates back to 1848. Glass ornaments were first made in Lauscha, Germany. Production began as a cottage industry, with workshops typically attached to homes. Whole families were involved in the work, the men in charge of glass blowing, and women embellishing the ornaments with silver. Children did their part as well, helping out with painting and finishing.

Initially, the ornaments were all blown without the use of a mould, in a “freehand” style. When the popularity of these fragile beauties grew, artisans developed moulds to meet the increased demand. The laborious process entailed heating a glass tube, inserting the end into a clay mould, and blowing the glass into the shape of the mould.

Eventually, the rest of Germany recognised the treasures they had in the Lauscha glass ornaments, and the decorative pieces were exported to other parts of the country and later, to the rest of Europe. The artisanal ornaments were originally brought to America by F.W. Woolworth after he discovered them on a trip to Germany. Woolworth began importing and selling European glass ornaments in 1880.

Today, the bulk of the ornaments sold in the global market are made from plastic which, while still beautiful, is a far cry from the works that European artisanal glass ornaments represent. These hand-blown Christmas ornaments are still made using techniques passed down through generations and reflect a level of artistry that mass-produced décor cannot match.