Webb Corbett Crystal Vase with Wheel Cut Decoration

• Stourbridge - Stourbridge in Worcestershire was an important glass-making centre from the 17th century, but production declined from 1745 with the introduction of the Glass Excise Acts which raised the price of raw materials for the English glass makers. The glass tax was abolished in 1845,
  
  enabling the factories to compete with the long-established glassworks of Bohemia, many of the products of which were copied by the English manufacturers. Products included vases, scent-bottles, candle-sticks, plates, drinking vessels, and paper-weights, as well as large exotic one-offs reflecting the interest in the past, and prestige pieces, such as cameo glass. Manufacturers based in Stourbridge included Thomas Webb & Sons, Stevens & Williams and H. G. Richardson & Sons.
• Acid Etched - Acid etching is often used on glass, metals, and stone to create decorative finishes or to prepare the surface for further treatment or coating. The process of acid etching involves applying an acidic solution, such as hydrochloric acid or nitric acid, to the surface of the material and allowing it to react with the surface. The acid etches away a thin layer of the material, creating a rough, uneven finish. Acid etching can be used to create a variety of different finishes, from a subtle matte finish to a more pronounced, textured finish.
• Etched - Glass decorated with an etched design, which is achieved through marking out the pattern, protecting the area that is not be etched, and then immersing the object in acid to dissolve the surface of the unprotected area. With some glass objects, such as cameo glass, there may be several layers of different coloured glass, and part of the top layer is dissolved leaving the bottom layer as the background. The longer the time of exposure of the object to acid, the deeper the etching.
  
  The word etching is also sometimes used to describe another method of decoration, where wheel grinders were used decorate the surface, but this technique is usually known as engraving.

This item has been included into following indexes:

• crystal - English, Victorian 183
• Webb Corbett (England) - glass makers 3