tradition

The ancient alchemic symbol for glass, composed of an eternal figure of eight and a cross, seemed to suggest that its production involved unending suffering. Perhaps we can concede that beauty is most often born of pain and suffering and is, at the same time, cleansing. In the same way we can say that glass production is never-ending pleasure. This mysterious substance seems to embody the very soul of human progress; it is a natural and yet cultivated material. It is solid, but can be without shape. It is hard yet brittle. It can conceal or expose, obscure or illuminate. It can serve modestly or sumptuously adorn. This is glass. Whoever is touched by it is transformed, often enchanted by it for the rest of their lives.

With the assistance of some powerful energy, the production of glass becomes an image of the transformation from wild nature into living object. The birth of glass begins at night with the melting of the raw glass batch, and takes its final shape during the day with the touch of human hands.

The glass factory of the Jablonex Group a.s. in the small town of Desná is dedicated to the production of artistically formed glass. In doing so, the company has continued in the tradition that originated in this Northern Bohemian region many years ago. The range of these products, usually labelled as artistic crystalware or luxury blown and cut glass, is offered under the "Desná" brand. In this we can find glass objects that were designed between 1900 and 2007, primarily in the period from 1920 to 1940, and produced using a traditional method often from original, well-preserved moulds. The range of designs is rich indeed and a great many have been so successful as to withstand all waves of fashion and changes in taste. These designs have been produced successfully for decades. Such timeless products have been assembled in the collection, which is sure to please even the most demanding lover of artistically formed glass in the twenty-first century.
Down the years, a number of renowned glass producing companies have operated in the valley of the River Desná, which is now home to the glass factories of the Jablonex Group a.s. These companies managed to create artistically and technologically attractive products. They have long since ceased to exist, but the glass objects that they brought into the world continue to be produced in the glassworks of the Jablonex Group a.s.. They are created in the same glass factories and grinding shops as they were years ago, and can be found right here in this catalogue.