Besa Lighting » Handcrafted Glass

EUROPEAN TRADITION
Handcrafted glass shades offer beauty while effectively directing
and/or diffusing the light output of the fixture. We believe that
this traditional art adds real value to your contemporary lighting.

The glass for our luminaires is created in Europe using methods
passed down from generation to generation. The personal
experience and artistry of the glass maker himself determines
the quality of the final object.

VARIATIONS: THE BEAUTY OF CHANCE
With mouth-blown glass, every piece is an original,
possessing its own character. Small variations in
thickness, color, decor pattern and dimensions are normal.
You may even find a few visible air bubbles.

HAND FORMING
To form a glass shade, molten glass is taken from a furnace
with a pipe. It's pre-formed by turning and blowing.
Then the still-viscous material is blown into a mold
to give it the final shape. For pressed glass, the glass
is poured into a mold and pressed into shape with a stamp.

After being removed from the mold and the pipe, the item is made stronger by a slow
process of reheating and controlled cooling. This removes tensions in the material itself.
Further work includes cutting, grinding and polishing, and any final decorating.
Decorating can include etching, painting or handcutting.

ACHIEVING DEPTH
- Clear glass is a single transparent layer, while Opal glass is a diffused white.
- Frit glass utilizes small bits of colored glass applied to the surface of an item while
the glass is still extremely hot, creating irregular patterns and multi-colored surfaces.
- Cased glass features a colored glass layered with a clear or opaque glass.
Multiple layers of colored and clear glass together achieve a rich color and optical depth.
Etching or cutting the outside layers to reveal inner layers can be especially attractive.