Many of these were quite complex in the way they were made

• Posted by wmwater bottle November 1, 2017 Filed in Arts & Culture 97 views
  click to rate

  Layers of Glass
  Apart from these overlay types there are many interesting mottled, swirling and colourful designs as well as the plain colour bottles, both uncarved and carved.
  
  Many of these were quite complex in the way they were made: some were blown into moulds then finished by hand; others involved blowing a clear glass into a mould but then another layer was blown inside the first bottle. This layer was a thin colourful one, sandwiched by yet a third clear layer that was also blown in. When looking down at the neck of one of these filter water bottles you can clearly see these three layers.
  
  A variety of colours were successfully used, together with gold in the creation of snuff bottles. There is no doubt that their advanced knowledge acquired in firing porcelain, and how metallic oxides react, was put to good use in glass.
  
  It has also been suggested that apart from mixing in metals, even small particles of precious gemstones such as Sapphires, Emeralds and Rubies were added to the molten glass.
  
  Particular attention was given to the feel of the finished material, which was achieved by the type of polishing and even the weight was controlled by the addition of lead. With transparent bottles the inside could be controlled and made to appear crazed as these names suggest - Cracked Ice, Fish Net or Sea Spray.
  
  Most of the really fine snuff glass bottles were made in the Imperial Workshop and other small glass works around Peking.
  
  Stone Imitations
  With such expertise the Chinese were able to make astounding imitations of other materials. There are many glass water bottle with infuser that look and feel just like Jade, Aquamarine, Agate and other stones. There has been a view in the past that the Chinese made these as fakes with the intention to deceive. I am sure that this was not the case, as it was far too easy to find them out by careful inspection. Under magnification little holes on the surface that could not be polished out and tiny bubbles would be seen proving it must be glass. Lastly, glass unlike the stones can be scratched quite easily by steel.
  
  The Chinese enjoyed making convincing imitations of highly valued minerals as a demonstration of their skill. One other mineral cleverly copied was Realgar with its bright red and yellow swirling colours, impossible to use because of a high arsenic content, so these copies would have caused a lot of intrigue.
  
  Imperial Yellow
  I have already mentioned that a wide range of colours was used for glass snuff glass water bottle with silicone sleeve. Such colours as sapphire blue and ruby red seem to have been the most popular of the earliest ones. However the Emperor Chien-Lung had a favourite colour that he decreed could only be used by the Imperial family and this was an opaque shade of yellow that is now referred to as 'Imperial Yellow'.
  
  Not all bottles of this colour really are Imperial as after his death this colour was available to all. A true 'Imperial Yellow' bottle must be one from his period and that can only be confirmed by the quality of the bottle and the carving. The 'Imperial Yellow' bottle pictured is well carved with an archaic design on both sides and is of the period 1736 - 1795. (See the photograph by clicking on the link at the end of this article).

  http://www.wmwaterbottle.com/