Glassblowing – the authentic Swedish craftsmanship behind our champagne glasses

Glassblowing requires great skill from the glassmakers. To shape the glass, a glassblowing pipe is used, a tool that has been used for thousands of years and is still one of the most important tools in glass manufacturing. The heated glass mass is blown into a mold while the pipe is rotated for symmetry. Then a heated pontil is attached to the bottom of the bowl, and finally, a new glass mass is added for the foot. It is sculpted by hand in a single rotating motion and shaped with the help of a carbon shears. After shaping, the glass is gradually cooled in an oven from 500°C to room temperature, a process that takes approximately six hours.

Thereafter, the edge is "cracked off", meaning the glass is cut to the correct height to achieve the proper mouth diameter. Finally, the edges of the glass are ground, washed, and then heated again to ensure the edge is not too sharp.

Before the final products are sent to Altare Studios, they undergo a thorough quality control, known as "syning" (inspection), to ensure the highest possible quality. Only after this step can the glasses be packed and sent to your table!

About Reijmyre Glassworks, where we manufacture our glass

Reijmyre Glassworks was founded in 1810 by Johan Jacob Graver and Baron Mattias Alexander von Ungern-Sternberg. The choice of location was dictated by the ample supply of wood needed as fuel for the furnaces in the glasshouse. During the 19th century, the business expanded and developed. In the 1830s, both "sprängglas" (cracked glass) and pressed glass were introduced into production. Later, regenerative furnaces were introduced. In 1895, the glassworks was connected to the railway by a 14.5-kilometer-long cable car, then the longest in Northern Europe. At the turn of the century, Reijmyre was at times Sweden's largest glassworks. The glassworks is known for genuine craftsmanship and stylish design in both clear crystal and colored glass. At Reijmyre, everything is made entirely by hand. Reijmyre is perhaps primarily characterized by distinctive glass design, combined with form and function.

In 1901, the glassworks began a collaboration with several designers and started developing and manufacturing Art Nouveau glass. The international breakthrough for Reijmyre's Art Nouveau glass occurred at the modern crafts exhibition in Turin in 1902. A prominent designer was Betzy Ählström, who also became Sweden's first female glass-related designer.

In 2021, furnace 3 in the glasshouse was prepared and put into operation. The investment was co-financed by funds from the European Regional Development Fund. The furnace was reinaugurated on December 14, 2021, by County Governor Carl Fredrik Graf.

It is with pride that we add our glasses to Reijmyre's historical list!