Of all the technological achievements of
civilization, perhaps none so delights the senses
as glass. For thousands of years, glass has been
used to create jewelry, works of art, and
functional objects of great beauty. In the bible,
the value of glass is equated with that of gold
and silver, and it was indeed treated by the
ancients as a precious substance. The origins of
glass are lost in the mists of time, but the
Egyptians in the 4th millennium B.C most
probably invented it. The roman naturalist Pliny
attributes the discovery of glassmaking to the
Phoenicians, and the cities of the Levant were
famous as centers for the glass trade. The
earliest glass was opaque, colored in a variety of
rich hues that often imitated gems like lapis and
emerald. The Egyptians used it extensively in
jewelry and made little distinction between the
genuine and the artificial gems. The art of
glassblowing and the development of
transparent glass both date to the roman period.
From centers like Tyre and Alexandria, glass
vessels were exported throughout the empire
and as Far East as Persia and china. The Romans
colored their glass in myriad shades, favoring
blue, green and yellow, as well as clear. One of
the most fascinating properties of glass is that,
through oxidization, it acquires a rich iridescent
patina with age. Brilliant as a peacock's tail, this
glass pendant is a piece of history, one that
appeals directly to the contemporary eye.
- (FJ.3601)
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