May 17 - Day 5 of Tour

We all woke up early for breakfast and the start of a new day.

First stop, The Button Hut, where the last two men are busy pressing glass buttons. they showed us how to press the hot glass into the button pliers to make the buttons. Then how to cut the excess glass off the buttons. And last was how to polish the edges of the buttons.
After that we went to see them hand paint the buttons.

                                                     and a live video- made by J-ME

Hand painting on the buttons...

The oven(kiln) used to fire the buttons in after they are hand painted.

We all went wild in the stock room, picking out our buttons! Some of us even custom ordered some buttons to be made for us.

Then off we went to lunch.


Guy took one group to drive to Poland to see a glassware factory, Julia Glassworks, then worked their way back through Czech Republic to Harrachov and Desna and finally Vitrium Glassworks in Janov nad Nisou. Brian bought beautiful cut crystal drinking glasses, art nouveau vases and perfume bottles, for incredible prices.

While the rest of us in J-me's Group, went off to see more bead factories.
First a small pressing hut with mostly large beads,

One very happy bead lover!

then a faceting and fire polishing factory,

 and finally a large pressed bead factory with a large number of hand press and automatic pressing machines all working flat out making beads.

When Guy's group got back to the hotel, two half drunk men were waiting for Guy in the lobby to introduce themselves and their bead company, which was just down the alley over Franco's Pizza. They carried crystal bi-cones and mc crystal beads and finished jewelry. Guy got a free rosary for looking at his inventory, which he gave to Cynthia as she appreciated the rosary.

J-me's group got back and everyone met in the room to eat Turkish food, ice cream, a little slivovice and red wine, and trade stories and purchases.

A long tired and happy day was had by all!