ETHER

For decades here and centuries there, Venetian handblown glass balls comprising suspensions form festive drops, moving, floating, evocative of the effervescent bubbles of champagne, of water, of soap. The gentle, soothing movement of these air bubbles amplifies the light variations. Fifteen thousand balls at Mix Las Vegas, hundreds in the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique, several units at the Doudoune club make the place, wherever they are.
The suspension varies based on the environment where it’s installed. The glass is worked while hot by a master glassblower.

As the glassblower gives the molten glass its form, the sphere is the first shape formed as he blows, and then it’s turned around with his cane.
With traditional Venetian tools, such as the bala de carta, in paper, or the magiosso, in wood, the master glassblower exerts pressure on each ball manually, giving each one its unique form.