The Christmas Glass Blower << Glass Trim

The Christmas tree as we recognise it today, hails from Germany. Christmas decorations, similarly, are generally accepted to have come from this part of the world where the fashion for decorating the Christmas tree with simple white candles became very fashionable (though fairly dangerous by today's standards). Over several centuries, baubles have evolved, spanning an amazing range of materials and designs. Christmas baubles are simply irreplaceable in decorating the Christmas tree. Whereas a tree can look wonderful without lashings of tinsel, beads and lights, Christmas baubles are the one thing it just can't do without.

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The Latvians expanded tree decorations, developing a new fashion for decorating the tree with Rose blooms, which traditionally represented the Virgin Mary. The French took this trend a step further developing paper flowers and flowers made from silk which were obviously much longer lived. The French also decorated their Christmas trees with candles (again, something of a fire risk), sweets, nuts and biscuits. The trend for decorating Christmas trees soared in the 17th century, where community to try to outdo one another, fashioning ostentatious ornaments of their own. The trend for hanging eggshells from Christmas trees painted in bright colours, with decorative patterns began and it is arguable that this was the beginning of the Christmas bauble as we know it today.

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A new fashion began in England were Christmas trees were increasingly festooned in strings of glass beads and finished with beautiful, delicately sewn handmade snowflakes. Tree decoration expanded to see the use of biscuits, nuts, the famous candy canes, and even edible fruit. In Germany, gingerbread was very popular in Christmas tree decoration and was often fashioned into shapes, like bells, stars and hearts and finished with coloured icing.

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It was not until the 1880s that the glass bauble proper came onto the market. These were first produced in Germany and handmade from either glass or lead. These Christmas baubles were very expensive at the time and a far cry from the mass produced pieces we see on the market today. The huge amount of skill and craftsmanship went into making these handblown pieces. To the German cities of Lauscha and Dresden, Christmas baubles were not just our frivolity once a year, but the daily bread and butter.

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Christmas baubles engulfed the world. Cheap per versions flooded the market and proved extremely popular - a touch of sparkle for every Christmas tree, not just those belonging to the privileged few. Sadly, the massive handmade glass bauble industry in Germany began to fade as these more economical versions flooded the market. Entire communities of craftsmen and Artisans fell into decline. In the early in 1900, the Japanese joined the market, producing factory line pieces on the phenomenal scale. The Czech Republic, famed for their glasswork, also began producing their own line of Christmas baubles. These pieces were of wonderful quality and surviving examples are highly sought-after today.

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With the advent of commerce and industry and expanse of the factory line, mass production of During both world wars, obviously, there was a slump in Christmas bauble production as raw materials were pumped into the war effort. After World War II, the USA took the baton of mass Christmas bauble production and raised the bar with mass production on an unbelievable scale.

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Whether you're looking to buy budget baubles or handblown; shatterproof or antique, there is a spectacular array of Christmas baubles on the market today. To complement all interiors and set off your Christmas to perfection.