Pate de Verre, the name bestowed by the French in the late 19th century and by which we know the technique today, is one of the oldest known forms of glass working. It literally translates into ‘Paste of Glass’ and is created by pressing crushed glass known as frit, that’s been treated with a binder to hold it together, into a mold and brought to just the right temperature in a kiln so it retains its very distinctive look.
Several pieces showcased below are a particular variation of it is called Pate de Verre Sucre because the resulting look resembles fine sugar crystals. The crushed glass used in these pieces are a carefully blended mix of both Fine and Medium textures giving each piece a beautifully jeweled look that both picks up light to give a wonderful surface glow and also transmits warmly diffused colors downward when light is allowed to pass through.
