The making of DutZ Collection glassware

Mouth blown glass is the passion behind the DutZ collection. Each glass vase, bowl, plant pot, candle holder, centrepiece vase, candle glass, vessel or plate is the result of dedicated craftsmanship of artisan glassblowers from our Eastern European workshops. Each item is mouth blown and hand-crafted in by traditional workmanship.

Ancient craft

The art of glassmaking dates back to at least 3600BC and evidence has been found from Ancient Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. And there is evidence of glassmaking at an industrial level from 1500BC. The actual process of making glass has not changed at all over time. We still use wooden moulds to press and blow the raw materials. These moulds are made by hand. Nowadays, we also use steel moulds - depending on the production. The moulds only last a number of runs, as they wear out by the heat, that's also why all items differ slightly in dimensions. You can check that items are hand blown as you can see at the bottom where the steel blow pipes and production rods have been attached - they leave a signature dent in the glass. And did you know we still use the same raw materials from ancient times? These are: sand (silica), soda ash and limestone. To add the colouring, we use a large range of minerals mixed in with the glass.

It’s distinctive

Making glass is a tough, hot and artisan process that requires a lot of skill and craftsmanship. But the results are visible. No item will be exactly the same, as they are all shaped and crafted by hand. And we like it that way! Every flower vase, pot, bowl, plate and vessel will be just slightly different. Maybe the dimensions differ, the colour patterns, bubble patterns, metal shards pattern, or maybe the exact shape or the thickness of the glass is slightly different. We allow our designs to have tolerances. It is different, and the way we see it: it's distinctive!

The extra heavy DutZ way

All our glassware is handcrafted, and hand blown and mouth blown glass are synonyms for us. We shape our vases, bowls, tumblers and pots by hand in any way we like. This gives us the freedom to create trends and match interior design styles. Our items are made from thick, heavy, luxury glass - usually 3mm thickness. You will notice when you handle our glassware, it is heavy! And that's our distinctive style.

Sustainable

Of course, DutZ glassware is made with the environment in mind. And we work with a finite raw material. So we also look for ways to reduce our footprint. For our glassmaking, we are trying to reuse our raw materials. And we are currently testing out the use of recycled coloured waste glass from factories. This will be ground up and mixed in with our coloured glass items. This is not necessarily an easy process, as you can image that the colours need to match up too. The good news is that we are fortunate to work with a sustainable material that will leave no trace on the planet. All our vases will certainly last a lifetime and much longer. But, they are also very recyclable, so… in case of breakage or waste you can simply put our glassware in the household recycling with a clear conscience. Although, we do recommend you put flowers in our vases and enjoy them!

The DutZ Philosophy

What does DutZ mean? DutZ is an abbreviation of Durf Uitgesproken Te Zijn, which can be translated as dare to be distinct. The collection is special because of the fascinating craft of glass-blowing. Each product is the result of dedicated craftsmanship of the glassmakers from our East European glass factories. DutZ is different. DutZ is special due to the huge amount of energy invested in the development of new products. You will find surprising new series every season.

Unlike many other companies, we have chosen to produce only in Eastern Europe. Therefore, we contribute to the maintenance of traditional glass-blowing, which is dying out across Eastern Europe.

Hey! Want to see our video on how our glass vases are made? Watch it here: