Glass finial curtain rods are an elegant way to dress up a window treatment. They look beautiful and can even become a conversation piece.
Types of Glass Finials
There are different types of glass finials can be made from. All of them are beautiful - the best type is a matter of personal taste.
Murano Glass Finials
Murano glass is a type of glass that is made on the Venetian island of Murano. The famous glass makers of Murano have been making artistic glass products for hundreds of years. The process of making Murano glass art is a complex lampworking technique. The glass is made from silica, which turns to liquid under high heat. As the glass cools back into a solid, it becomes soft and pliable. This is when the glass maker can shape the glass into any form he chooses.
Murano glass finials come in a variety of different shapes such as crowns, flowers and pineapples.
Hand Blown Glass Finials
Hand blown glass is an artistic type of art glass similar to Murano glass. The Glassblower uses a blowpipe to shape and form the glass while it is in a molten state. The artist first forms a bubble on the end of the blowpipe. He then uses a number of tools such as glass tweezers, wood paddles, jacks and straight shears to cut and shape the glass. Hand blown art glass is known for its beautiful colors and interesting designs.
Hand blown glass finials are beautiful balls of glass with unique and interesting color patterns running through them. Some hand blown glass finials have unique shapes as well such as a ball with little glass buttons all over it.
Crystal Finials
Crystal finials are extremely elegant looking finials. Crystal is actually a form of leaded glass. The addition of lead oxide during the glass making process results in crystal. Differences between crystal and glass include the cut, shape clarity and weight. Crystal is clear in color, while most glass has a green, gray or yellow tint. Crystal can also be blown thinner than glass.
Crystal finials are clear colored and have beautiful shapes including feathers, hollow cut stars and textured balls.
Other Designs of Glass Finial Curtain Rods
You can find many interesting designs and colors for glass finial curtain rods. There are amazing colors for glass finial balls, including:
- Amber
- Aqua
- Lime green
- Frosted
- Clear
- Ruby
- White
Glass finial balls can have interesting textures such as crackled glass, mosaic glass and textured glass.
Finials made from glass also have interesting shapes such as onions, pumpkins, acorns, egg shapes, squares and tulips.
Choosing the Rod for Glass Finials
Some glass finials are permanently welded to the curtain rod. These rods are usually metal and obviously cannot be changed. However many finials can be screwed on to different rods. The type of rod you choose will depend on the finial.
For instance, the elegant crystal finials would look best with a more formal curtain rod such as brass or a brushed metallic finish.
Other glass finials will look good with most styles of curtain rods. You just need to pay attention to the colors of the glass and the colors of the base that is attached to the glass finial. A good example would be matching the elegant Murano glass pineapple finial to a bamboo curtain rod. The base is very dark, so this finial would look best with a dark stained or dark painted bamboo curtain rod.
Also remember when adding finials to your curtain rods, that the finials take up extra space. If you are measuring for curtain rods in tight spaces, add an extra inch or two for the finials.
Where to Buy
The following online retailers carry glass finials and glass finial curtain rods. The first online store has a nice selection of all three types of glass finials including Murano glass, hand blown glass and crystal finials:
