Craftsmanship with the Sternkrönchen®
The manufactory brings together traditional craftsmanship, design expertise and many years of experience working with glass. The result is a collection of ornaments, each with a character of its own.
Why craftsmanship matters
For us, handcrafting is not about nostalgia for its own sake. It is how we bring quality, expression and individuality to every ornament.
Many decisions are made in the moment, during the making process: How much heat does the glass need? How should the colour flow? Where should each brushstroke sit? This closeness to the material cannot be fully standardised – and for us, that is precisely the point.
Handcrafting means giving each piece time, attention and a character of its own.
Managing Director of Inge's Christmas Decor
We use carefully selected materials for our ornaments.
The character of an ornament comes from the interplay of shape, material and finish. That is why the choice of materials – and the way they are worked – plays such an important role.
Crystal-Clear Glass
Glass forms the foundation of every ornament. Heated over the flame, it is mouth-blown and shaped into the desired form – from classic baubles to figurative designs.
Genuine Sterling Silver
Each ornament is silvered from the inside. The reflective surface gives the glass depth, catches the light beautifully and provides the base for the colours and decorative finishes that follow.
Colours & Finishes
Colours and decorative finishes give each ornament its individual expression. From areas of colour and fine outlines to subtle highlights, every detail is applied by hand, step by step. This gives each piece a character of its own.
How our ornaments are made in our manufactory
From the initial design to the final quality check, each ornament passes through several stages of production in our manufactory.
Already at the beginning of the year, the trends for the Christmas season after next are being developed at the Inge Glas Manufaktur in the Bavarian town of Neustadt bei Coburg. Forms are modeled, colours and decors are defined.
The glass mould collection of the Müller-Blech family is unique with approximately 15,000 exhibits from two centuries. In the in-house mould construction historical moulds are maintained and preserved for use, also new, modern ornaments are manufactured.
In the Inge Glas Manufaktur, all ornaments are hand-blown according to old craftsmanship. Balls, finials and many more ornaments are formed freely in front of the flame by experienced glassblowers. For all figurative aspects, the evenly heated glass is blown in special shapes with much care and finesse.
The distinctive brilliance of glass decorations by Inge Glas Manufaktur is created as a result of the application of a genuine silver coating by hand. Each ornament is filled with a pure silver solution which then covers the inside of the glass.
Up to 60 steps are necessary to give an ornament its final look. Tiny details such as eyes, pupils and eyebrows are painted with care and a very steady hand by our qualified Inge Glas painters. Every single ornament is painted by the same painter from the first to the last painting step. Thus, every ornament gets its unique personal character.
Here, all birds produced in the Inge Glas Manufaktur are either decorated with feathers or provided with the traditional bird tail made of spun glass threads. SWAROWSKITM ELEMENTS and other decorative elements are used in the assembly as well.
Each ornament of the Inge Glas Manufaktur is subjected to a final quality inspection. Only when this quality check is passed the respective ornament will be provided with the registered trademark – Star Crown®. This guarantees the hand-blown and hand-painted craftsmanship from Germany.
Christmas decoration with the Star Crown® – our mark of origin since 1987.
The Star Crown® is a guarantee that you are holding a unique specimen from Inge Glas Manufaktur in your hands: a glass ornament manufactured in Germany according to centuries of tradition.
The Star Crown® guarantees:
Handcrafted in Germany
Made in our family-run manufactory
Passion for craftsmanship and quality
Sustainability
A tradition kept alive