How to Spot Quality Glass: A Buyer's Guide from a Working Glassblower
Most people buying their first serious piece of glass are looking at the color. The color is the easy part. Here is what somebody who makes glass looks at instead.
The Joints And The Welds
Every place two pieces of glass were joined is a place it can fail. A good weld is smooth and even and you have to look for it. A bad one has a visible seam, a thin spot, or a little grey haze where the glass got dirty or was worked too cold. Turn the piece and look at every junction — where the neck meets the body, where an arm meets the tube, where the foot attaches.
Wall Thickness, And Whether It Is Even
Thick is not automatically better. Even is. Glass that is fat on one side and thin on the other was not spun properly while it was hot, and it will break where it is thin. Hold it up to the light and turn it slowly.
Whether It Sits And Stands
Put it on a flat surface. It should sit without rocking and stand without wanting to tip. A piece that only balances if you are careful with it was built to be photographed, not used.
Bowl Size And Hole Size
Make sure the bowl piece is the size you are looking for. Some people want to go big, some want to go small. Same runs with the hole size, most people want a small hole, we find small holes get clogged easier and a bigger hole might allow a little more ash to come through initially, it will keep the pipe working smoother longer.
Mouthpiece And Carb Size
The airflow of your piece is going to be determined by the size of the different holes. What you really want is a carb hole that is bigger than the mouthpiece and bowl piece put together. This will make for a better clear when you use the carb.
Annealing
After it is made, glass has to cool slowly in a kiln for hours so the stress comes out of it. Skip it and the piece is a time bomb — it will crack sitting on a shelf, months later, for no reason anybody can see. You cannot check this by looking, which is exactly why who you buy from matters. What you can do is give the piece a quick once over and make sure it is not cracked.
A Signature
Artists sign work they are willing to stand behind. A signature and a date also mean the piece can be traced, valued, and resold. No name is not automatically bad, but a name is a promise.
The Red Flags
Cheap imports usually give themselves away the same few ways: seams you can feel, a joint that grinds instead of sliding, a base that rocks, colors that stop abruptly rather than blending, and a price that does not make sense for the amount of work on it.
What To Ask Any Seller
Who made it. Was it annealed. Is it one of one or a run. Can I see other work by the same person. Anyone selling real work can answer all four without pausing.
Everything in our gallery is glass we know the origin of, most of it made in this building or by artists we know personally.
