The heart as a symbol of love never goes out of style. This four-inch heart-shaped crystal votive from Orrefors' Amour collection makes a heart-felt gift for any special occasion, particularly Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. Hand-crafted in Sweden and completely lead-free, the dense, heavy heart sparkles luxuriously in flickering candle light as it adorns a coffee table, vanity, or dresser. Look for bowls in two sizes, a picture frame, and a free-standing heart sculpture as well, rounding out the graceful Amour line. Swedish artist Lars Hellsten is known for his weighty, contemporary crystal bowls, with such collections as Orion and Corona in addition to Amour. Typifying the close collaboration between the designer and master glassmaker, Orrefors glass is among the most prized in the world. Each piece comes gift-ready in a handsome Orrefors box, and should be carefully washed by hand to preserve its brilliance. --Ann Bieri From the Manufacturer About the Designer: Born in 1933, Lars Hellsten studied sculpture at the College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm before coming to Orrefors in 1972. Besides Eden, a service inspired by nature, he is also the designer behind such collections as Corona, Odyssey, Neptunus, and the heart-shaped Amour and My Heart. Nature clearly inspires his art glass, too, including many grand pieces well suited to public spaces. His glass is characteristically massive and forceful, whether it be cast, mold-blown, or free-blown. He celebrated his 70th birthday and more than 30 years at Orrefors with a large retrospective exhibition at the Orrefors Exhibition Hall between May and September, 2003. About the Kosta Boda: With characteristic craftsmanship and good design, Kosta Boda has become one of the leading glasshouses in the world. The company's three glassworks in the villages of Kosta, Boda, and Åfors each have exciting individual stories of their own yet stand together under the common brand name Kosta Boda. The corps of designers currently on retainer at Kosta Boda works with both utilitarian and art glass. Glass results from a great many meetings between people--artists, craftspeople, and lovers of glass. The artists of Kosta Boda have a decisive role to play in all the creative stages of the process. The cooperation between the designers and the skilled craftspeople is very close; indeed, it is essential if the designers are to transfer their intentions to the glass. The History of Kosta Boda: Kosta, the parent glassworks of Kosta Boda and the oldest glassworks in Sweden still in operation, has a fascinating history that forms a valuable part of Swedish cultural heritage. The glassworks was founded in 1742 by the governors of the counties of Kronoberg and Kalmar, Anders Koskull and Georg Bogislaus Stael von Holstein, both former generals in the army of Karl XII and distinguished veterans of the battle of Narva, among others. The two county governors founded the glassworks upon the instructions of Fredrik I and modeled it on Continental glassworks. The works was situated deep in the spruce forests of Småland, on a site midway between the two country towns, and near a village that was then known as Dåfvedshult. The main reason for choosing this location was the unlimited availability of wood. Enormous quantities of wood were naturally required to keep the glassmaking furnaces burning day and night. Both of the founders wanted their names to be remembered, so the works was christened Kosta, from the initial letters--Ko and Sta--of the surnames of both the Carolinian generals. After a time the entire community was renamed after the growing glassworks. During the first 150 years, the glassworks in Kosta produced only utility glass, including window glass for the building of Tessin's Royal Palace, bottles and glass for the royal household, and chandeliers for churches. The first glassblowers were immigrant glass masters from Böhmen. They became the founding fathers of the glassblowing families, which passed down craft skills from generation to generation. Swedish sand was used to manufacture crystal glass, but nowadays pure silica sand is imported from Belgium, since the Swedish sand contains iron oxide that gives the glass a green tinge. Under the management of glass masters from Kosta, a succession of glassworks sprang up in the forests of Småland in the regions around Växjö and Kalmar. Kosta therefore has good reason to call itself the parent works of the entire Swedish Kingdom of Crystal. Until the end of the 19th century, the glass from Kosta was designed by the glassblowers themselves. At the Stockholm exhibition in 1897, the glassworks was criticized for the uniformity of its glass, which led to the idea of enlisting designers and artists in production. The first designer to be employed by Kosta was Gunnar Wennerberg. The year was 1898. Ever since then a large number of artists and designers have enriched the glassmaking tradition of the works with their artistic talents. Today Kosta Boda has a unique right to describe itself as an art industry, in which designers and craftspeople work closely together in the ongoing development of handmade utility glass and art glass. This diversity of individual artistic expression and the free and uninhibited creative process have become the distinguishing characteristics of the Kosta Boda brand. In addition to the parent works in Kosta, Kosta Boda today includes the two "daughter works" of Boda (founded in 1864) and Åfors (founded in 1876), a partnership that was formed in 1964. Both Boda and Åfors were originally relatively simple glassworks that manufactured utility glass. Boda experienced a period of glory in the 1960s and 1970s, under the innovative and dynamic artistic leadership of Erik Höglund, a heritage carried on by Kjell Engman and Monica Backström. Åfors has been the home of the designer couple Ulrica Hydman-Vallien and Bertil Vallien, who, together with Gunnel Sahlin and Olle Brozén, brought a renaissance to the small glassworks and local community. In 1990 Kosta was acquired by its former competitor Orrefors. Orrefors/Kosta Boda was in turn acquired by the Danish company Royal Copenhagen in 1997, and the design group Royal Scandinavia was formed. The group also includes Georg Jensen, Royal Copenhagen, and Holmegaard. Colorful, handmade art glass from the works in Kosta, Boda, and Åfors have made Kosta Boda one of Sweden's strongest brands and one of the world's leading glass companies. Glass from Kosta Boda is sold all over the world. Roughly 50 percent of production is sold outside Scandinavia, with some of the biggest markets in the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Australia. The origins of this glass, the living tradition of craftsmanship developed in the glassworks in Kosta, Boda, and Åfors, is a heritage that every Swede has a right to feel proud of. Taking Care of Kosta Boda Pieces: Handmade and hand-painted glass (especially the latter) does not do well in the dishwasher. Wash by hand in hot water--though not too hot--with a little washing-up liquid. Washing in very hot water will eventually destroy the luster of the glass. Rinse in water of about the same temperature as you washed it in. To avoid cracking the glass, make sure you do not expose it to excessive temperature differences. To avoid lines, dry with a soft cloth that won't shed lint. The edge of the glass is its most fragile part. When you put the glass back in the cupboard, stand it on its foot and make sure the edge does not come into contact with other glasses or objects. The Mark or Signature on Kosta Boda Pieces: Products are marked with the words Kosta Boda, the name of the artist, and the article number (seven digits). Painted pieces are signed with a painted signature with the designer's and the painter's initials. Engraved pieces also have the engraver's signature near the designer's name. Besides designing glass for the regular Kosta Boda collection, our artists are also free to work with art glass--limited-edition, specially signed pieces that are often much sought after by collectors. Kosta Boda art glass is divided into two categories: unique pieces and limited editions. Unique pieces are, of course, just that. No more than one piece is made of any particular item. Limited editions are manufactured in runs of between 25 and 1,000 pieces. All art glass is marked with the product number, the name of the artist, and the size of the edition so that the purchaser will know exactly how many pieces there are in that particular series. Editions comprising less than 60 pieces are individually numbered, e.g. "25/60."
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