Heart of Glass: Our Egyptian glass baubles

Advent is the wonderful four week period before Christmas when anticipatory pleasure builds and the focus turns towards making the home feel cosy for the festive season ahead. The Christmas tree is a key element, inviting the whole family to revel in the tradition of its dressing. There may be a different theme to its décor each year or you may prefer to unwrap beloved decorations from their tissue paper cocoons and mix old and new. One lovely idea is to buy a new bauble each year, especially for a child, so that by the time they reach adulthood they have their own personal collection of decorations.

A perennial favourite in our Christmas Shop, hand blown Egyptian glass baubles are a beautiful addition and can either be hung on the tree or around the house. A few sitting in a crystal bowl reflecting gentle candle light can create a wonderful table centrepiece or if you don’t have a large tree you could place one on your windowsill where the daylight will enhance the colour pigment.

Each lustrous bauble in our collection has been hand crafted, enhanced by gold swirls or colour pigment dripped on the balls when hot. The artistry involved extends to shape, design and delicacy of pattern resulting in a unique work of art, ranging from classic designs to some very quirky characters - because what's not to love about a glass chicken sparkling on the tree?

Delicate, beautiful and always cheering, these are pieces to be treasured, preserved in tissue come the New Year and cherished for years to come.