Contact me directly if you wish to purchase an item from the gallery or visit my Etsy Shop where just some of the items are for sale.
This is a vintage lead crystal cullet from the Whitefriars Factory which closed in October 1980, after 300 years of glassmaking. I purchased several cullets many years ago, from a gentleman who had bought them from the factory when it closed. He had had them as ornaments in his garden. Cullets are hardened left over crystal. These have been annealed (cooled very slowly), to ensure they are less stressed and pretty tough.
They arrived in several large boxes, covered in years of dirt and mud. Over time I have been slowly engraving them. They are utterly exquisite to engrave. Soft, vibrant. I normally polish the sharp raw facet edges, but for this piece I have deliberately left them in their natural raw state. (warning – they are very sharp) I also normally ensure that my engraved strokes are such that you will never see a rough edge. For this piece I have deliberately left the strokes of the diamond bur, raw, which compliments the attitude of the cullet itself. The cullet appears delicate, yet is lethal and solid, with many facets. A reminder of this unprecedented time. The letter serifs represent the “Spike Protein”.
www.lesleypyke.com © Lesley Pyke
Contact me for further information
