Held fast by rustic solder in weathered and timeworn hues, fiery multi-faceted icicles of Austrian crystal form a large starburst southern cross. Crowning a rare and coveted, circa 1890 - 1910 apothecary relic of antique, wavy mercury glass that has developed a beautiful and natural patina over time. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a good many of these years ago and release a few of them at the Holidays.

The leaded crystal of the cross catches and refracts light beautifully - throwing light in a confetti of colors. Juxtaposing the ornate cross is the fading silver of the antique bottle. Gleaning silver in certain light, showing gold undertones in other and a steely almost blue in different lighting, the bottle has many moods. This is due to the silver that was once locked away tight between two walls of glass to protect the contents from being affected by light. Long after the contents were used and the bottle discarded, the silver was kept pristine until time and the elements managed to wear down the barrier between the walls. No matter how slight, no matter how small, water, carrying with it minerals and remnants of the area seeped into the silver and over decades, forever changed the landscape and hues of the silvered surface. Every bottle is different - depending on where it spent its century cast away. Each, an individual work of art influenced by the hand of the natural world.

The Art of Isabeau Grey