Blown away by the Emerging Blown Glass Ideas From Across India

The glass came to India with the invaders from the Islamic world. It was Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh that became the centre of excellence and met the royal demand for jhad and famous (types of chandeliers) and produced vials for perfumes. It was here that blowing, a very special operation in the creation of these crystals, was mastered.

Blowing is limited to karkhanas (workshops), and allows for the creation of an endless variety of hollow objects. In the case of mould blowing, great skill is necessary to make the glass take the shape and patterns while maintaining uniform thickness on all sides, which again calls for the expertise of ustaads (masters).

Today, traditional bangles and newer products like glass toys are handmade in the streets of Firozabad by the descendants of those who once made lavish chandeliers for the Nawabs of the region.

Within this craft, bangle making to a great extent is a cottage industry in itself. “The craftsman draws and winds molten glass into a tight spiral around the mandrel. The glass springs are then inserted into bangles and patterned with nicks. It is traditionally the women from their homes who complete the ornamentation of these bangles with gold paint.”

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If you are excited to connect with the crafts community, Direct Create has made it very simple to get your craft at a click of a button and to engage and create with the skilled Craftsmen from across India. The DC platform has an active database of craftsmen and designers from across India and Europe and more are getting added every day. The platform provides an enriching experience to businesses and individuals to work with craftsmen, you can by simply clicking on the “Collaborate Now” button next to the craft on https://www.directcreate.com/craft.

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Originally published at https://www.directcreate.com.