Glass-blowing firm branches out into chandelier production

A glass-blowing company started by two Britons in 1967 and taken over by a Maltese 18 years later will be branching out into the production of chandeliers for both the local market and export.

Joe Said, who joined Mdina Glass two months after it was set up, bought the company from Eric Dobson and Michael Harris in 1985, and has extended the range and diversified the products over time.

"We will start making chandeliers next year. We already make wall lights and lampshades and have a demand for chandeliers, so we will start doing them as well," he said.

Mr Said has been managing the family business, in which his wife Agnes lends a hand.

His children Nevise, Olivia, Pam and Alan are actively involved too. The company now employs 38 people and exports to Greece, Cyprus, the Netherlands and the UK. Efforts are being made to penetrate the Dubai market.

"The local market remains very important for us," Mr Said explained. In fact the company now depends more on Maltese custom than that of visitors.

"Tourists are an important component of our business, but locals are buying our products more and more," he said.

Mdina Glass was originally known for blown glass ornaments that were blue and green in colour with hues of brown derived from the iron content of glass. But the company is now using better quality glass and the range of colours is as wide as one can imagine.

"We are still making some of the original range as there is still a demand for it but we have also diversified and are using the same quality of glass used in Murano, Italy, and we have improved our techniques over time," Mr Said added.

His daughter Olivia followed a course in Murano and later refined the techniques she learnt. She is now the brains behind a new contemporary range of coloured blown glass being produced. Silver and gold leaf is also being incorporated in some of the works.

The company has also started making Maltese scenes as well as artistic representations of paintings by old masters such as Renoir, Van Gogh and Cezanne, using fused glass. The fused glass technique involves placing layers of different coloured glass in desired shapes and putting them flat in a furnace.

The coloured glass melts and fuses itself with the base without becoming smudged.

"Maltese scenes are very popular with locals and tourists. And we are also making them on demand. One might want different colours or particular scenes. Like all our works, the advantage is their versatility. They can be used alone, or backlit to produce different effects," Mr Said said.

Products by Mdina Glass now also include table tops, door knobs, house names and numbers as well as glass tiles, which can be used both in bathrooms and as stand alone decorative pieces.

The company is also using Pyrex glass for what is known as lamp work.

"Pyrex glass has a unique property and you can heat a rod to 900° centigrade on one end and still hold the other end as is does not conduct the heat. Clients often request an item they see being created so they can take it home with them there and then," Mr Said explained.

Mdina Glass now makes in excess of 500 different items.

"It is with satisfaction that Mdina Glass items are also becoming collectible. I noticed quite a few items at an antiques shop in the UK recently while our items sometimes show up at BBC roadshows when people take them to be valued. So there is a considerable interest in our work," Mr Said proudly noted.