Just as the seasons change, so too do the trends in the area of interior light fittings. They have long since ceased to be mere light sources and are increasingly performing the role of interior design elements. The owner of Elite Bohemia Ing. Josef Chlum, also knows something about this.
“In recent years, we have focused more than ever on developing new types of interior light fittings made of Bohemian crystal. As soon as we had completed the prototypes for the initial few crystal light fittings from the Crystalion collection, we realised that we had not yet finished and that we wanted something more, some kind of value added,” said Josef Chlum.
Not much time passed between the idea and the first attempts. The cooperation with Jiří Pačinek, who came up with the idea of supplementing the individual glass products using a glass technique known as threading, was of great benefit.
“I have to admit that the idea of adding a glass thread to some of the finished pieces did not particularly appeal to me at the beginning,” revealed Ing. Josef Chlum. "However, I realised that the process of producing each individual light fitting had not yet been completed and that on the contrary there were still many further options with regard to the final finish.”
The technological procedure involved achieving the glass surface finish known as threading has its specific characteristics. Even though the material used in the light fitting and the threads is the same from the point of view of its composition, the actual decorative process is far from being simple. Is necessary to place the thread on the completed piece of the light fitting as soon as possible after its completion and while the glass is still hot, because otherwise the thermal shock that the material would be subjected to during the threading process would cause the glass to crack or the join between the materials to fail. The glassmaker who carries out the threading on the glass product must work very quickly and with the greatest amount of caution. He or she must display a great deal of skill and knowledge of the material so that the result is flawless. Once the threading has been completed, the glass section of the light fitting is placed in a furnace for tempering (gradual cooling) which must last from 12 to 30 hours.
Glass threads have been used in two finishes in the current Crystalion collection; pure and rustic. The pure, smooth and technically precise threads go excellently with modern interiors. On the other hand, the rustic threads have a playful air of insouciance which stands out perfectly in cosy, yet timeless spaces.
“At present we are using contrasting glass colours during the threading process, for example we have use an amber thread on the crystal light fitting LOG. Nevertheless, we are also not afraid of using tone in tone combinations where the combination of surfaces and colours is symbiotic and the resulting product acquires highly specific lighting properties,” revealed Josef Chlum.