Damaqah Glasses

The Damaqah Glasses are a family of artisan glasses associated chiefly with the Runberi city of Damaqah but made throughout the emirates. Though the masters of Damaqah are capable of making any kind of glass, the glasses most associated with the name are the enameled natron glasses, fired salt and mineral mixtures shaped into elaborate color patterns. Used for windows, glassware, and art pieces, the techniques used by the masters from Damaqah are renowned for producing smooth and flawless glass with well defined color patterns and fine detail.
Despite the prestige and price of the finished product, the raw materials for producing Damaqah glass are usually not particularly expensive to obtain. The lake beds in the Emirate of Dabwa provide a source of natron that is easy to exploit and close to major trade routes. The dyes used to produce the enamel mixtures can be more expensive, especially when imported and contribute to the cost of the glass.

History & Usage

Cultural Significance and Usage

Damaqah glass is one of the most famous Runberi products, and an important luxury trade good for the merchants of the emirates. Renowned for its superior quality throughout the bay and further beyond, authentic Damaqah commands a high price, especially in foreign lands. Non-Damaqahi and non-Runberi glassmakers often have attempted to imitate their techniques, but imitation Damaqah glass has never commanded the same price or prestige as the genuine article.
Damaqah glass is used mainly for high-end glassware, stained glass windows, and art. Glass art is valued by the Runberi, and important buildings are often decorated with stained glass made in the Damaqahi fashion. Though high quantities of the glass are expensive due to the skill required to produce it, ostentatious displays of wealth using the artisan glasses are not uncommon. In particular, statuettes or even full statues made of the colored glass are commissioned despite the difficulty and expense of making and transporting them.

Type

Glass