We returned from a tour of Italy through Trafalgar recently, and were taken to Arti Veneziane alla Giudecca for a tour of their glass factory. They mentioned that they are only one of maybe 4-5 master glass blowers and showed us a short demonstration. After that they escorted us to their showroom full of beautiful works of art.
Their special was a set of six vases shipped to our address. We really liked what we saw and since Trafalgar assured us they had researched the company, we purchased them. What we received was different from what was displayed in the showroom, with what we think are defects. But I wanted to get the opinions of those who are more knowledgeable about these purchases before I proceed further with the company. Their response has been that these are imperfections from the glass blowers, and they will not replace them.
The pictures below show some some of the imperfections, although it is difficult to get really good photos so close. The light blue vase has two dots on either side, but to us they look "splattered." The orange vase has discoloration and "pitting" on the gold that surrounds the top, and is the only one that has this. Also the gold on the bottom does not join well. The purple dots on the gold are discolored. The dark blue has a divot on the bottom.
Our other purchases of high-end glass have consisted of artistic pieces, not uniform ones like vases. Are these to be expected in this type of hand-made glass? We can see how some of them could be expected, but the splatters on the light blue vase seem out of line. But since this our first purchase of more uniform pieces, we wanted to ask those more knowledgeable.
We don't doubt that they make very fine products. We are just wondering if they ship some inferior products to tourists.
Topic: Imperfections or Defects (Read 2050 times)
