Czech Glass Beads

Beads have been made in Bohemia since Roman times, but it was an intermittent industry. After the collapse of the Roman empire, about 400 A.D., there was little demand for luxury items such as beads in Europe. By the 900's locally made beads were placed in some tombs and by the 1200's glass factories were turning out a variety of glass products, but these were mostly household wares with only a few beads present. Several small factories were turning out beads for rosaries, but it was not until the 1550's that a major glass industry was founded in the cities of Jablonec, Stanovsko, and Bedrichov (modern Reichenberg) in Bohemia (in the current Czech Republic). These glassmakers were mostly decentralized cottage crafters making beads for use in larger, centralized, jewelry factories.

The Napoleanic Wars of the early 19th century changed the political face of Europe, with both Bohemia and Venice added to the Austrian Empire between 1815 and 1866. Competition between these two regions had always been fierce. Becoming part of the same empire did not change a thing and competition between the two regions continued to be as fierce as ever. In the face of this competition, Czech bead makers tried something new that allowed them to expand their markets.

This was the work of Czech 'sample men' who traveled worldwide. It was a novel experiment. These men traveled from country to country asking people what kind of beads they wanted. Then, they returned to Bohemia with sketches and descriptions of these new beads. It was an astounding success. The demand for beads grew and production increased. At this point, both Czech and Venetian beadmakers were turning out similar products, but close examination has shown a variety of differences both in style and use of color. These are discussed in Peter Francis Jr.'s book The Czech Bead Story.

The 19th century was also a period of industrial innovation. New machines that could produce a vast variety of beads were developed, depending on a process of pressing molten glass into a heated mold. This meant that thousands of identical beads could be turned out quickly and inexpensively. The only limiting factor was process of manufacturing the molds, which was both difficult and precise. Cottage crafters were given several molds for each bead press and turned out beads to order for their local factory. Venice continued to concentrate on handmade glass beads, while the Czechs became masters of pressed glass. Both regions, however, remained innovative and continued to perfect and improve every form of bead making.

Political upheaval seems the normal state of affairs in Europe. In the early 20th century WW I not only disrupted, but nearly collapsed the bead making industry. After the war, Bohemia became part of the new state of Czechoslovakia and by 1928 the Czechs were the largest bead exporters in the world. Then came the 'Great Depression'. Bead production did not recover until the mid 1930's. This was soon followed by WW II and another disruption. In 1945 the communist regime in Czechoslovakia nationalized the entire glass making industry. Beads were not a part of the official party line. It went into decline as a result. This changed in 1958 when the need for hard currency caused the communists to look for goods to export in exchange for cash.

Today the Czech Republic is making and exporting large numbers beads. Once again the Czechs are in the forefront of the world bead market.

Bibliography

Beads of the World by Peter Francis Jr.Glass 5,000 Years edited by Hugh TaitThe Czech Bead Story by Peter Francis Jr. The History of Beads from 30,000 B.C. to the Present by Lois Sherr Dubin

In the 1550's a major glass industry was founded in the cities of Jablonec, Stanovsko, and Bedrichov (modern Reichenberg) in Bohemia (in the current Czech Republic). Glassmakers there were mostly cottage crafters making products for larger centralized factories.

The area had three main attractions. First of all, nearby mountains contained quartz deposits that were easily mined. Second, Bohemia had an abundance of cheap skilled labor. Third, and most important, was the expansive Bohemian forests, an abundant source for wood to heat the large furnaces required to melt glass. Potash was a byproduct of burning wood in the furnaces. Importing potash, an important ingredient in glass making, would have been very expensive. It takes between 15,000 and 40,000 pounds of wood to create the potash to make 50 pounds of Czech glass. The wood burned in the furnaces created the ash that was later collected to make all the potash that was needed. The Bohemian factories turned out mainly glassware and cut glass stones. Beads were a secondary product.

From earliest times there have been many ways of forming glass beads. The earliest was to wind molten glass around a form and allow it to set and cool, creating round beads. The glass can also be blown into a form or mold, creating hollow shapes in the beads which are lighter than wound ones. A third method is to create blown glass beads without a mold. Beads made in this way are the lightest and most delicate. All these methods have been known for thousands of years, but it was not until 1860 that the first pressed glass molds were developed in Bohemia, producing a product that is more durable and robust than earlier methods.

'Pressing' was a completely new process. A dollop of glass was taken up and placed in a pair of mold tongs, after it was formed it would be pierced by an iron rod. The bead was then drawn off the rod and allowed to cool slowly. This method left a wide seam around the circumference of the bead, which would be ground away after the bead cooled.

Later this process became automated by hydraulic bead presses which could turn out thousands of identical beads quickly. The presses used a combination of high pressure and heat caused by that pressure to convert powdered glass into glass beads. After the beads were formed they were pierced using high speed drills to create uniform holes. Pressed glass beads are more dense than other types and the fact that the beads are pierced after they are formed means that offset or multiple holes are possible. The creative possibilities are endless.

Bibliography

Beads of the World by Peter Francis Jr.Glass 5,000 Years edited by Hugh TaitThe Czech Bead Story by Peter Francis Jr. The History of Beads from 30,000 B.C. to the Present by Lois Sherr Dubin