Studioglas Strömbergshyttan is situated in the same area as Orrefors and Kosta Boda in Småland and it has been “our” glassworks for almost 10 years. These photographs were taken by Fredrik Persson, the son of the master glass-blower, Leif Persson, one of the founders of the glassworks. Please accompany us on a tour! The traditions of Studioglas Strömbergshyttan date back over a hundred years. Every summer, tourists from all over Europe make their way here to see how famous Swedish crystal is created. This particular glassworks has been open to visitors for many years and it is a major tourist attraction.
On summer evenings, food and drink are served on a long table inside the glassworks. The food is typical for glass-blowers – herring, pork and potatoes, which are cooked on top of the glass furnaces. Visitors are also treated to entertainment in the form of singing and music – plus, of course, stories relating to the old days.
At least three people are needed when LifeStone’s glass moulds are cast. Everyone has a special assignment and everything has to be timed correctly, right down to the last second. Watching a glass-blower in action is a little like watching a ballet without music. Incomprehensible to the uninitiated – the glass-workers moved around the master glass-blower quickly and deliberately, with precise, well-measured movements. Nobody speaks. The only thing that can be heard is the roar of the furnaces.
The secret behind the production process is well kept – only one person is familiar with all the component parts.
The temperature of the melted glass in the large furnaces is as least 1200 °C – around the clock, as it must never be allowed to cool. If the temperature is just a few degrees wrong, it is impossible to work with the glass.
Half the glass-moulding process is now complete. It takes three days before it is cool enough to remove from the mould. It then has to be cleaned, polished, blasted and engraved.
In the shop and exhibition centre, you can purchase exclusive glass at low factory prices and see the very latest works of art from the masters’ pipes. Art glass signed by independent glass artists and designers is also on sale. A number of famous glass artists rent facilities at Strömbergshyttan in order to turn their creations into reality. Without the hands and skills of the masters, these artists’ ideas would remain on paper.
