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Kugels
Most kugels for Christmas decoration originated from Germany about 1830, when glassbowers started making the silvered balls for decoration, and
France (Meisenthal): Glassware Goetzenbruck started making them as early as 1857 and stopped making Christmas balls in 1964. To prevent this expertise lost forever, the Centre International d'Art Verrier (ICVA) Meisenthal revived this tradition since 1998.
The International Centre for Glass Art Meisenthal reissues not only old models, but also creates annually contemporary Christmas balls.
Beware, many reproductions from India and .... are being sold as old.
As extensive information is available, I will not elaborate on history and production.
Literature on Kugels is available:
Tucker Beesley: “Kugels: An Antique Christmas Obsession”
John Lightner: "Christmas Rarities"
and also on the following sites:
http://www.goldenglow.org/kugels.htm
http://www.ornament.ch/rubrik.php?rubnum=BK
http://www.ciav-meisenthal.fr/
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Corked early hanging system, ornament diam 5cm
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Corked early hanging system, ornament diam 5,5cm
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Below a variety of metal caps in this collection; there are many more varieties, 1 and 3 could be the same design;
8 could be new. |
 
Cap 11, looks like cap 1
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Cap 10, looks like cap 3, but top swirls and rim is different
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Cap 1
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Cap 2
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Cap 3
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Cap 4
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Cap 5, top and side view
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Cap 6, top and side view
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Cap 7, French
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Cap 8; is newer, Indian or French?
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Cap 9, repro, probably Indian?
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Silver, diam 10cm cap 1
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Silver, diam 12cm, cap 2
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Yellow, small, diam 4,5cm,cap 3
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Silver, small, diam 4,5cm, cap 3
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Red, large, diam 24cm, cap 5
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Silver, large, diam ..cm, cap 6
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Blue, small, diam 6cm, cap 7
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Light green, diam 10cm, cap 4
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Silver, small, dia 3cm, cap 3
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Silver with reddish tint, dia 12,2cm,
cap 10
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Silver with greenish tint, dia 12,3cm,
cap 11
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Silver, 10cm high, cap 8, New?
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White glimmering sheen, new reproduction, dia 10cm, cap9;
Close-up of the "glimmering sheen";
crystallisation
The caps are "aged" by rusting them on purpose with a mild acid, much as they are doing with new ornaments to make them look old.
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| A few ornaments I think are with the old sivering |
4cm high
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4,5cm high
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'JUL Schmuck'
‘Jultanne’ in the Second World War :
In 1930 came out a series of “Julkugeln” (Christmas balls). It was a revival of the old-Germanic runes. They were 7 cm large, flattened balls with symbols such as tree of life, sun wheel and swastikas, sometimes same design both sides, sometimes different design each side. |
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| Composed & Icicles |
 
Variations of a ball on a cone (or whatever it is called); from 14cm, 13cm and 8,5cm.
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A few other variations, the wire wrapped more rare; 12cm, 10cm and 10,5cm
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11cm,17cm, 10cm
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Cone shape, 6,5cm and 10cm
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Same both sides, total 10,5cm
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Ball with spikes on a cone also seen as a comet, ball with reflexes on an icicle;
shortest 10cm, longest 14cm.
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The two on the left are 17cm high; the largest is 28cm high
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Two different, clear glass, with tinsel inside, missing in the right one;
9cm high
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Icicles and teardrops; smallest 8cm, longest 14cm
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Ball ending in an icicle; 9 cm high, glitter applied
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11 à 12cm
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Left is 8cm and the right is an assembled ornament as the lower ball has been added separately, total 12cm
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| Oval & Diamond & Round |
Old chenille and wire
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Small, each ca 3,5cm high
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Small, ca 4cm high
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End*of-the-day ? But peculiar is the borderline, 11cm high
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End-of-the-day, 8cm high
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Inside silvering all gone
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Unsilvered, dia about 7cm
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Polish, 3 musical cats, large, ca dia 9,5cm
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Two large balls, same design, dia 10cm and 11cm.
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Polish, gelatine, dia 5cm.
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Very thin glass, traces of gelatine,
dia 5cm
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With very firm crincly wire
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Gelatine & glitter, ca dia 9,5cm
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Gelatine & glitter, ca dia 9,5cm
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Polish, gelatine & glitter, ca dia 10cm
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With crincly wire and beads
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Others
Ornaments that do not fit into the above categories; many fancy ornaments have been made and here are some that are special, either in design, model or size.
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Largest is 11cm high
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Largest is 9cm high
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Largest 11cm high
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Largest is 10cm high
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Largest is 11cm high
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Largest is 17cm high
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The three large ones all dia 10,5cm and the small one is dia 5cm
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MerryThe'sChristmasCollection
