Samples and Booklets laid out ready for the CRIT meeting

Once a month in the Gaunt Francis office, a CRIT meeting is held for all of our staff to attend, which sees a member of staff present to the rest of the team about one of the current projects they are working on. It is a great chance for everyone to see what others are involved in, as well as to provide some useful feedback. This week’s CRIT meeting was slightly different, but just as interesting!

This week, our Part III Architectural Assistant, Bianca Dumea, gave a presentation on luxury Italian glass items fashioned by J&J, an Italian company and brand of beautiful, high class and bespoke collections. During her trip to Italy earlier this summer, Bianca visited the factories of J&J, which she found incredibly fascinating and decided to share this interesting topic with the rest of the GFA team.

Samples of the stunning glass collection by J&J

Her presentation began with a short history of glass, going on to explain how glass was discovered in 2500 BC, and is one of the oldest forms of sculpture in the world. Man-made glass is made out of ordinary materials, sand being the main ingredient. The use of glass was first developed in the Middle East to decorate beads and small vessels, and was later used in Egypt and Asia to make decorative valuables. Today, Italy -among other countries – is considered most famous for its glass craftsmanship and design. These techniques even migrated to America where they further customised their design and process – such as global brand Tiffany & Co. Needless to say, glass today is used everywhere.

Beautiful gold glass

Bianca went on to talk about J&J and their approach – “We refine and create high-value models through our craftsmanship and Italian design”. J&J was founded in 1985 and specialises in the production of stained glass and products that are characterised by the exclusivity and originality of their features. From mirrors and vases to living and bathroom furniture – just about anything can be made from glass. With the growth in production volume, J&J has become an affirmed leader in the production of Murano glass. Today, the J&J brand is synonymous with quality, elegance and traditions.

Individual Swarovski crystals are delicately placed onto the glass

The presentation also covered interesting facts about the process of producing the items, in which they use the ‘Muranese’ technique – a hybrid between Artigianale & Industrial  manufacturing and machinery; this involves high pressure water-jet cuts and washing, manual smoothing, fusion in 800°C ovens, using a spray room, and drying and assembling. The production time is around 10 days for orders out of their catalogue and 25 days for customised orders – this alone tells you how complex and intricate the process is in creating these incredible pieces.

Bianca was kind enough to bring in and display some beautiful samples of different types of textures and designs of glass for the team to see in the flesh. It was like nothing we’d ever seen before! Here are just some of the beautiful creations J&J have produced:

The J&J brand is signature of high class collections that give each home an allure of sophistication and luxury. Take a look at some of their work here: http://www.jej.it/en/