History of Production Beads
The oldest historical reports about glass in the Jizera mountain region, supported by an archaeological research, are dated from the 1st half of the 14th century. More glassworks grew in the 15th century and the production of utility glass expanded – glasses, goblets, bottles and ornaments.
Already in the times of Charles IV semi-precious stones were mined in the Turnov region, which were ground and polished and used for various purposes. Semi-precious stones were found in the surroundings of Kozákov, Ještěd and in the Jizerská Meadow. Together with looking for this precious material, the processing trade is developing, which is discovering with time the progressing techniques of refining stones by grinding and polishing. On one side the refined stone starts to surpass the value of metal in jewels and on the other side new stones are becoming inaccessible with price. Extensive and the less wealthy categories of people are therefore excepting imitated stones as a substitute, which is first put on the market by Venetians at the beginning of the 16th century. A producer tries to draw the attention of a wider range of consumers by a reasonably priced stylish ornament.
After a five-year stay in Venice itself and numerous experiments, the Fisher brothers managed to melt their first composition of coloured glass in Turnov, which set a base to the renowned future of the Czech glassmaking trade. Glass stones were firstly ground from pieces, which rose from breaking melted glass and later casts in clay mouldings were made, and the method of pressing moulds from glass rods in iron moulds set into tongs wasn’t used until the second half of the 18th century. Stones pressed this way were ground by hand, piece by piece, up until the end of the 19th century. Thus three lines of production were established: glassmakers, pressers and grinders.
The specialization between the districts of Turnov and Jablonec lasted from approximately the end of the 18th century. The melting of composition glass ceases in Turnov during the 19th century and as a result of that girdlers are moving to the Jablonec district as well as the stone pressmen. Stone pressmen concentrated on other small glass objects, where their production was technically related, such as buttons, pendants, etc. Grinding mills were established by rivers where the “short products” from glass were refined.
For the development of glass and metal costume jewellery the 19th century was the time when the working techniques were developing, division of labour and guild equipment was being replaced by modern industrial enterprises.
The development of costume jewellery production in the 18th and 19th century (1789-1870)
The
following economic factors are conclusive for the development of the costume
jewellery industry in the North Bohemian region during this time:
- since the end of the 18th
century, there appears to be a general decrease of exporting Czech glass to
the foreign markets and the reason for this is that the competitors´
products are of a better quality
- the influence of war is shown in
business and production
- French revolution
For
these reasons a large amount of consignments were confiscated, the glass
journeymen were forbidden to wander, the production froze. Prices of raw
materials and wood were increasing which resulted in higher prices for
glass. Wages and profits were reduced and their capital moved to other
trades. This crisis was being deepened by the inconvenient traffic
connection of the Jizera region, which made larger sized and heavier
products increase in price. That also had an influence on the concentration
of more convenient, smaller glass products.
The character of work in glassworks, which are running for these new
lines, continues to stay on the manufactory level. The primary production of
these glassworks now work in a wide colourful range and we can differentiate
their two main types:
- large glassworks which make hard,
hollow glass and glass rods
- smaller composition glassworks
make softer glass with higher contents of lead which is noted for higher
refraction of rays and colours
A lot of technical improvements and discoveries were appearing, which
enables prices of smaller products to be reduced and there was a wider range
of customers. The most important one was glass pressing, which is connected
with new affiliated trades such as engravers, mould makers, etc.
The development of costume jewellery production from the end of the 19th century to the 1st World War (1870-1917)
There are 9 glassworks in the Jablonec region in the 70´s of the 19th century specializing in the production of materials for smaller glass products and ornaments, besides that there are 67 composition glassworks here. The demands on glassworks productions are increasing not only in quantity, but also in quality and colourful shades of glass. Also the secret of special glass is revealed – avanturin, which was so far a monopoly of Venice. There is a continuous increase of the amount of domestic producers in the secondary production, however on the other hand concentration of work into particular centres continues. The building of press works is characteristic for this period of time, they were established on the south slopes of the Jizera mountains and in the whole region of the Černostudniční ridge, always a particular distance from residential areas in case of fire. Extensive lines of products are based on pressing such as buttons, pressed pearls and stones. From the total of 9 districts in the region, the Jablonec region in 1897 concentrated the whole of 90% of all enterprises, which were engaged in refining glass and producing Jablonec products. From the entire population of the Jablonec region at their productive age, 40% are working for the production of the followed line of goods during this time. There are significant technological improvements in all commodities, which enable expansion of production.
The development of costume jewellery during the First Republic (1918-1938)
Jablonec production had already, before the 1st World War, been concentrating from 90% on the foreign market, so the break-up of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy – in other traditional trades of the North Bohemian industries felt greatly – didn’t show significantly in the Jablonec production. This production stayed a decentralized mass production with incomplete machine basis and with a major share of domestic work. Over strong signs of manufacture production, concentration of capital goes ahead, average number of employees in enterprises is getting higher and differentiation of producers goes ahead. Another centre of the Jablonec production region tries to find its own way into the foreign market at this time – Železný Brod – by specialization of its glass production (glass figurines).
The development of costume jewellery after the 2nd World War
The development after the 2nd World War was mainly influenced by the outcome from the Postupim conference. After the Germans were transferred from the borderland, the number of inhabitants in North Bohemia was approximately the same as at the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 19th century. There were also leaving excellent glass experts together with the Germans, that is why some of the Jablonec Germans – glass experts – were taken out of the transfer.
Small businesses were closing down and everything was concentrated into large centres – Bižuterie, Preciosa, Jablonec Glassworks, Železný Brod´s Glass. New establishments were built from these state companies such as Bižuterie by the Jablonec dam, new Jablonex building, concerns in ŽBS in Líšné and Zásada, etc.
There was privatisation as well as decentralization of these units after the change of the social system in 1989. The only successful privatisation of a whole company together with its enterprises was Preciosa´s. At first, other companies split up into separate concerns and afterwards they more or less successfully parted from the state. New costume jewellery companies were arising, fully private, next to those ex-semi-state enterprises and only after ten years the twisted production and export relations, that had originated in the past 50 years, are getting back on their feet.
