Crystal Set
Crystal Set
Tom Thumb Rides Crystal Animals
One of the most enjoyable parenting experiences I had as a father was reading bedtime stories and fairy tales to my daughter. What made it more interesting and enjoyable for my little tyke was a crystal rabbit figurine a friend had given her. It was related to the story I was reading to her and she instantly adopted the figurine as an important part of the story.
Her favorite story was the Thom Thumb Fairy Tale. She loved looking at the pictures of all the little creatures in the story. I can't recall how many times I had to read that fairy tale. Of course she wanted a figurine for each of the animals in the story. She said, "Daddy, I want Tom Thumb to ride my animals." How could I ignore that adorable, pleading little face. Before I knew it, we had acquired a small collection of crystal animals.
As an adult, you have probably forgotten the story of Tom Thumb so here's the story in a nutshell. Tom was born tiny so he played with the little creatures in the forest, rode on a snail, got swallowed by a fish, was found by a cook and given to the King as a page, rode a mouse and had a fight with a cat, was imprisoned, rescued by a moth and taken to live with butterflies. Over a period of time and a number of re-readings of the fairy tale, we had acquired a nice beginning of a crystal figurine collection from just one story. There were many other stories and crystal figurines as well.
What really made this fairy tale experience unique was my daughters creativity. She found a small figure in one of her play sets and put him on each of the crystal animals as I reached that animal in the story. She had great fun playing along with the story. To her, Tom was riding her crystal animals and that was what it was all about.
When her little friends came over to play, she would take them to her room and tell the story from memory as Tom rode each crystal animal as the story progressed. Of course she had her own version of the story which changed each time she told it. Sometimes I overheard her storytelling and was surprised to hear that Tom had to slay dragons, rescue a Princess, swim a river to free a fox in a trap and that the butterflies had made wings for him so Tom could fly.
The creativity and ingenuity of kids is remarkable. Sometimes all it takes is one small action to set their little minds racing with new ideas and new ways at looking at things. My daughter became a very good writer and story teller in elementary school. As a teenager, she excelled in creative excuses as to why she occasionally missed the Friday or Saturday night curfew.
If you have a young child ready for bedtime stories you might want to consider using a crystal animal to enhance the story. I can only say from experience that it was a wonderful activity for both of us.
Each child is different. Your youngster may or may not enjoy having the figurine to play with while you are reading, so it isn't necessary to invest a lot of money in a crystal animal collection unless you want it for your whole family. Nor is it necessary to have a figurine of every animal in the story. This is something as a parent you will have to judge.
I can't remember what I did yesterday, but I will never forget the warm, tender moments I had reading those stories and fairy tales to my daughter over thirty years ago and how Tom Thumb rides crystal figurines. My only regret is that I didn't write down my daughter's creative versions of the stories. Those stories would be a book of fairy tales in their own right.
About the Author
Lowry Mell is a retired Merchandiser and a former Marketing and Business Consultant. His articles focus on new and creative ways to use and display crystal and crystal figurines. For more information, visit: www.CrystalCrossroads.com
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A Brief History of Baccarat Crystal
The term crystal, as applied to glass, dates back to the early 1300s in Murano Italy. Glass cutters there developed intricate glass cutting techniques which often gave the glass a "crystalline" shape, resembling a cut gemstone. When pertaining to cut glass, the term "crystal" is a misnomer. Glass is technically classified as an amorphous, inorganic solid that lacks a true crystalline structure.
The art and science of cutting glass continued to progress over the next few centuries, as various technological improvements enabled the glass cuts to become more intricate. In the 1700s, lead oxide was introduced into the smelting of glass which made the glass more workable and boosted its index of refraction, creating a more brilliant product. This effect was heightened when the glass was cut into facets at different angles, causing light to split into its constituent wavelengths, creating rainbows of colors that closely resemble a "crystalline" material. So as a matter of tradition as well as marketing, the term "crystal" has been retained by glass makers such as Waterford and Baccarat.
Baccarat Glass dates back to 1765 when the Bishop of Metz wanted to stimulate commerce in the little village of Baccarat, some 250 East of Paris. The Verrerie de Sainte Anne at Baccarat was created. It successfully manufactured all kinds of utility glassware and prospered for many years, surviving even the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars.
In 1815, during the aftermath of the Napoleonic War, the French border reverted to its 1790 boundary line. The great French glassworks at Voneche in Northern France found itself outside the new French frontier in the newly created country of Belgium. The owner of Voneche, a Parisian named Aime-Gabriel D'Artigues, bought the Baccarat glassworks so that he could re-establish his business in France and continue to serve French customers without paying heavy import taxes. There is a story that he struck a deal with the King of France to reduce his import taxes from Voneche in return for setting up again in France.
The new company, Voneche-Baccarat, focused on high quality lead-crystal glass and over the past 180 years Baccarat has developed many new techniques in making the finest crystal glass. In 1822 D'Artigues sold the glassworks and the new owners set up the Compagnie des Cristalleries de Baccarat (keeping Voneche as part of the name until 1843). It soon became and remains today, the foremost glassworks in France. The company won medals at major exhibitions in Paris from 1823 onwards.
Baccarat is famous for its wonderful paperweights, its superb crystal glass tableware, for 19th century colored lead crystal glass and opaline ware, for beautiful decanters and bottles, and for superb lead crystal sculptures of animals and birds. The Bohemian/Venician technique of embedding millefiori canes (multi-colored glass mixtures) was taken over by Baccarat in the 1840s and their lead crystal glass paperweights with millefiori designs surpass anything produced in that period from Bohemia or Venice.
The technique of embedding cameo sulphides in paperweights was raised to a fine art by Baccarat in the early 19th century, and continues to be used today. The sulphides give the glass a distinctive rose colored tint. This technique creates eye catching results; as many people have never seen glass reflect light in such a way.
The town of Baccarat is clearly proud of its famous glasswork heritage, and its glass industry not only brings in tourists, but is the cornerstone of the local economy. Moreover, the Baccarat company is renown for creating great working conditions for its employees. All things considered, Baccarat Crystal lives up to its legend.
About the Author
This article was written by Dwayne Cassidy. Dwayne was shopping online for
Baccarat Crystal
when he became curious about the history of Baccarat and
Waterford Crystal
. Dwayne has researched the subject of European glass makers extensively and hopes others might share this interest. The YellowDoor.Com is a great place to whet your appetite for fine deals on the best glassware.