Story of Things: Faceted Glass

It turns out that the expression "simple, like three kopecks" we owe a graved glass. The number of faces of this honorary inhabitant of railway buffets was different: 10, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20. At one time we produced glasses even with 17th grades, but it was more difficult to produce dishes with an odd number of parties, so I stopped on the optimal 16. The price of the product depended directly on the number of faces. The most simple, 10-graded, cost 3 kopecks, 16-graded – seven, "luxury" 20-graded – whole 14.

The reformer estimated the idea and as if he would say: "Glasses to be". And the boyars were not heard: "Bands beat". Since then, allegedly went the tradition to beat dishes for happiness

Despite the fact that the faceted glass is a classic symbol of Soviet times, it can be seen in the "Morning Still Life" Kuzma Petrova-Vodkina 1918.

As many researchers believe, the faceted appeared in the time of Peter I, and made its glass plant of Gus-Crystal. Then the glass was called "Granchak" and was a new-fashioned alternative to our wooden circles. The face did it durable and did not allow to ride on the table. When the king was presented with a novelty, he did not believe in the reliability of the glass and from the soul scored her about gender. The glass crashed. But the reformer estimated the idea and as if he would say: "Stack to be". And the boyars were not heard: "Bands beat". Since then, allegedly went the tradition to beat dishes for happiness.

Despite the dislike for all bourgeois, the Soviet engineers of the glass rated, except "upgrades". The strength of it gave the shape and thickness of the glass. The latter was made at extremely high temperatures – 1400-1600 ° C. Yes, and the same twice burned. Well, at first, lead in the glass was even added lead.

By the way, about the exterior. It is believed that the Soviet sculptor Vera Mukhina came up with a unique form – the author of the famous Memorial "Worker and Kolkhoznitsy" (from here and one of the folk names of the glass – Mukhinsky).

In the 1980s, when the manufacturing technology of faceted was broken (production simply passed into foreign standards), gossipped gossip about the invisiuses of the enemies who took the shrine. Glasses have become not only broken, but burst and even explode.

The faceted glass was not just dishes – it was the "mandala" of the epoch, from which many well-known aphorisms went from. Here at least the expression "to figure out three". The fact is that the standard faceted glass (if you count from the rim) accompanied exactly 200 g. Politting of vodka in two glasses did not fit, but in three – in exactly. So drinking was more convenient exactly.