Glittering Glass

During World War II, there were shortages of many things: metal, medicine, rubber, even sugar. Before the war began, a different shortage was already being felt. Because we were at war with Germany, glass Christmas ornaments couldn’t be imported. Germany is where ornaments were traditionally made. To keep the holidays sparkling, the Corning Glass Works began producing glass ornaments.

At the time, the New York-based Corning Glass Works made light bulbs and windowpanes from sheets of glass. The glass artists used the same technology to create geometrically shaped ornaments like spheres and teardrops. “The German ones had a lot more characters, animals, fruits, and nuts. They had detailed painting and surface decorations,” says Eric Goldschmidt, a glass artist at Corning Museum of Glass (GMoG). The CMoG tells the history of Corning, Inc. and glassmaking. “Corning ornaments had their own style,” he adds.

During World War II, there were shortages of many things. Metal, medicine, rubber, and even sugar were hard to find. But there was another shortage over the holidays. Glass Christmas ornaments couldn’t be imported from Germany. That’s because we were at war with the country. Germany is where glass ornaments were made. To keep the holidays sparkling, the Corning Glass Works started to make glass ornaments.

The New York-based company made light bulbs and windows. Their products were made from giant sheets of glass. The company’s glass artists used the same technology to create their own style of ornaments. Corning’s ornaments were shaped like spheres and teardrops. “The German ones had characters, animals, fruits, and nuts. They had detailed painting and surface decorations,” says Eric Goldschmidt. He’s a glass artist at the Corning Museum of Glass (GMoG). The CMoG tells the history of the Corning, Inc. company and glassmaking.

Courtesy of the Corning Incorporated Department of Archives and Records Management, Corning, NY

Ornaments sold by Corning Glass Works in the 1950s.

Artists and craftspeople have been using high temperatures to melt silica sand into glass for centuries. The first glass Christmas ornaments were made in Lauscha, Germany, in the early 1800s. At that time, Christmas trees were decked with food, not colorful reusable spheres. According to folklore, the first glass ornaments—shaped like fruits and nuts—were made by a poor glassblower who couldn’t spare the food for decorations!

The way handmade ornaments are made hasn’t changed much since then. “We refer to it as flameworking—working glass over a torch,” says Goldschmidt. Cylinders of premade glass were heated over a torch until the glass started to melt. The artist then formed shapes like animals and Santa Clauses.

Artists and craftspeople use high temperatures to melt sand into glass. They’ve been making glass for hundreds of years. The first glass Christmas ornaments were made in the early 1800s in Lauscha, Germany. At that time, Christmas trees were decorated with food. According to folklore, a poor glassblower who couldn’t spare the food for decorations made them out of glass. That’s why the first glass ornaments were shaped like fruit and nuts!

The process for making that type of ornament hasn’t changed much since then. “We refer to it as flameworking, working glass over a torch,” says Goldschmidt. The artist starts with cylinders of glass. Then the artist heats the cylinder over a torch. When the glass starts to melt, the artist forms shapes. The end result is a tiny glass animal or Santa Claus.

Today, the museum lets visitors try their hand at making their own ornaments under expert guidance. Supervision is extremely important because melted glass—which must be kept at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit—can be dangerous if you don’t have much experience. “If things don’t go smoothly from the beginning of the process to the end, you’re stuck and have to start things again,” says Goldschmidt. “There’s a constant pursuit of perfection. It’s a great challenge.”

Today, you can make your own ornament at CMoG with the help of expert glass artists. Having an expert help is extremely important. Melted glass must be kept at 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit. The melted glass can be dangerous if you don’t have much experience. And it’s tricky to work with sometimes. If you have a problem partway through, you’ll have to start over says Goldschmidt. “There’s a constant pursuit of perfection. It’s a great challenge,” he adds.

Use the formulas above to find the volume and surface areas of spherical ornaments. Round your answers to the nearest hundredth. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.