It may come as a surprise to some that Simon Pearce is an actual person and not just a well-known custom trademark for high quality glassware and pottery. Raised in County Cork Ireland, Simon Pearce began his career in glass at the Royal College of Art in London and worked in some of Europe's most renowned glass houses. These wine glasses, martinis, pilsners, decanters, lamps, hurricanes, vases, bowls, candlesticks and cake plates feature an intricate, internal air twist. This is an old and nearly extinct technique in hand-blown glass design. Capturing such intricate air patterns within glass has largely vanished due to the skill required in its creation. Each piece in the Stratton Collection demands rare talent and precision by expert glassblowers. In fact, only a handful of Simon Pearce's 70+ artisans can create the Stratton designs. The first gather of glass is carefully spun and then crimped, using special tools made in our workshop. This creates air grooves in the warm glass that are then covered with a second gather, trapping the air inside. Next, the glassblower rhythmically manipulates the formation of air and glass to produce the internal air twist. Finally, the piece is removed from the pontil iron and cooled. The result is exceptional and the effect is exquisite.