Topic: Shetland Glass query-and pretty perfume bottles for Anne!

[jakgene]

I just received (bought here in Oz) these two rather gorgeous perfume bottles. Made by Shetland glass, both signed to base C M (or H) Rouse. Box says established 1993. I have googled and all I found was a link to an item on the GMB some time ago. The smaller one is very reminiscent of an IOW shape, as is the packaging. I see from the previous discussion here that C(hris?) Rouse used to work for IOW glass. Does anyone know how long Shetland Glass existed ? and whether Chris Rouse is still working in glass?  I am also not sure whether the gold swathes on these bottles is fired or painted on afterwards. I can clearly see brushstrokes. Any ideas welcomed as to how they were made.....

I am so over this summer.........  :phew:
JAK

[Anne]

Ooohhh they are gorgeous!  :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: What a find! I've not found any more about Shetland Glass yet beyond what I added in the other topic, despite touring the Shetlands on Google Maps Street View searching for information!

[glassobsessed]

That's interesting, the box saying (est) established 1993, that is a fair few years later than I thought. Might as well have a link to another thread: http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,38326.0.html

John

[Anne]

Oooh good thinking John, I meant to do that and then got sidetracked and forgot! 

Curiously, there is a fairly new site (late last year) appeared which has a mention of Christopher Rouse at the Shetland Glass address here: http://directoryuk.co.uk/category/glassworkers/ dated 4 Nov 2010 but I think this is the date the site admin has added that info, but no idea where the info came from originally nor links to a current website for Shetland Glass.  And the Business Directory North Scotland has both Shetland Glass and Blydoit Fish both in the same industrial unit - saves going out for lunch I guess!  :usd:

Wee update: having found the listed phone number for what was Shetland Glass I rang it and spoke to a very nice helpful lady who said, no there is no Shetland Glass there now, it's a veterinarian practice. She had heard of Shetland Glass but said they'd not been there for a long while and she didn't know what had happened to them.

[jakgene]

Thanks Anne & John. Wonder where he went? perhaps the recession got him. I hope he is working elsewhere - too talented to lose altogether I would hope.

how about the gold on these? any ideas? the stoppers are gold burnished, which looks fired, but the trails on the body seriously look as if they are painted on, and I am too scared to have a scratch at them just in case they flake. Please tell me it would have to be fired in!

 I thought they look like the IOW "ribbons" perfume bottle, but I don't own any of that pattern to compare to, have only seen photos. Does anyone have one? and does the gold look as if it is painted on afterwards on those too? Ribbons was made at IOW 88 - 93, which made me wonder if Chris Rouse worked on it there and took the technique with  him?  I wonder if anyone from IOW glass knows where he is now?

JAK

Much cooler today - down to 34C. Humidity also down from 66% to 22% - Aaaaah! much better. nothing like a tropical storm to clear the air.

[Anne]

A quick update on Shetland Glass: about 1/2 an hour after I posted, the lady from Shetland rang me back and said she'd asked her Dad if he remembered the glassman - he did, but didn't know what had happened to him either. She suggested that the other Shetland glass person Glansin might know so I'll try her tomorrow and report back.

[Lustrousstone]

Gold is often applied afterwards and then fired to fix it, so yes you might see the brushmarks if that was the effect desired. It's applied as a suspension. That's how it's applied to china too. The knob will have been done in the same way but with a thicker coat. Although firing fixes it, it will wear off slowly with rubbing over time. It won't be gold-coloured paint; it's real gold.

Enamels are usually applied the same way but tend to wear less because they are glass-powder based and are more compatible with the glass underneath.

[jakgene]

Thanks Christine for the information on the applied gold.  (and real gold too - I bet these were expensive  when new! ) And thanks Anne for following up on Shetlands glass - will be interesting to see if you can find out any more.

Thanks again

JAK

[smeglass]

Hi I worked with Christopher Rouse at Shetland Glass, this is one of the iridescent collection in black, it is made with an applied trail of glass and fumed with stannous chloride to produce the metallic effect. The business only ran for a few years i the early 90's.

[smeglass]

The pieces are made by first coating a gather of glass with black powdered glass on a blowing iron, this is then cased with a layer of clear glass, another piece of glass is coated with a clear, high lead content, powdered glass and a few chips of a colour called aurora, this is then wrapped around the gather and manipulated to form the pattern, the trail of glass is pushed into the gather so the surface becomes smooth and is then blown up, puntied and hand finished, then the glass is blasted with a gas torch, the trail of lead glass goes shiny and the chips of glass which form the striations when stretched and wrapped around the gather become obvious, it is then sprayed with a solution of stannous chloride with leaves a thin layer of metal on the surface of the glass, the amount sprayed on changes the colour from blue to gold to pink. There is no real gold in these pieces, Chris and myself did work at IoW Glass, Chris set up Shetland Glass when the workers were layed off for three months after christmas during the recession in the 90's.