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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is so special about the liuli crystal medium?
Liuli means crystal in Chinese. Art pieces created from the liuli material produce a mystifying and indescribable experience.  The unique crystalline glass reacts to light, reflecting a multifaceted contrast of light and shadow that no other medium can create.

LIULI Crystal Art was established in 1987 in Taiwan, we proudly fuses our cultural heritage and contemporary aesthetics together in our creation. To us, liuli is more than a material, more than a creative medium; it is a state of being, a form of life.

 

Why is the significance behind the layered colors in the art pieces?
We uses 12-step process of pate-de-verre. The advantage of this technique is the potential for incredible detail. The unique color blends and gradients of each individually casted LIULI piece is the result of casting and kiln-firing process. Our artists and designer teams aim to perfect a natural and most uninhibited flow of color in each glass piece during these stages.

 

Are all LIULI art pieces originals?
We heavily stress on individualism of art pieces. Every design is a self-contained and uniquely handcrafted work starting from the sketching, sculpting and casting processes to the final touches. Our artists allow fluid color palettes and naturally forming bubbles to occur organically, resulting in totally unique artistic concepts in each work.

 

Why are there bubbles in LIULI artworks?
In the pate-de-verre style of casting crystal glass, or liuli, bubbles are a naturally occurring element. We believe this very organic effect possesses the strongest feeling of the artwork’s “life force,” as if the art pieces breathe through the bubbles. So we encourage it in many pieces. In fact, in artist Loretta H. Yang’s collection “Formless, but not Without Form”—exclusively emphasize freeform effervescence, with deliberate and careful manipulation and direction of each piece’s bubbles.

 

What is the significance and meaning of LIULI designs?
Each and every art piece designed in our studio is rich with both cultural and philosophical significance. The subtlest details can sometimes possess the deepest wisdoms—behind every low-relief, color contrast, subject, and even the negative spaces created are layers of historical or cultural context and blessings of happiness, fortune and gratitude.

 

How should I display the artworks at home?
Each LIULI artwork design possesses various elements (such as its bubbles, color blends, dimensions, and composition) that play with the surround light in totally unique ways. Appropriate lighting could be ambient, direct, artificial, natural, or a combination of any of the above. We also have display acrylic base in different sizes available for purchase at gallery and online store, please speak with one of our specialists today on more interior design ideas for your art piece!

 

How are the colors in LIULI crystal work achieved?
LIULI’s signature pate-de-verre method of crystal glass-casting typically involves repeated firing of an art piece at 2500 degree Fahrenheit to achieve the final result. Typically, transparent crystal is used as the base color, after which in the second stage of re-firing other metals will be added to the mix to achieve color by oxidization. For instance: Oxidizing cobalt will produce a blue hue; manganese—violet; pure gold—a deep crimson. And with high heat melt casting, the colors produced are crystallized—never fading. Forged twice from the negative plaster molds of these art pieces, tailored with multilayered color blends that are infused with bubbles, are the unique and organic artworks that are distinctively LIULI.

 

How long does it take to craft one art piece?
Depending on size, design intricacy, color blends used, some pieces may take up to three months or longer to exit the kiln (not including the time involved in designing and sculpting).

 

What is the difference between handcrafted and machine-cut glass?
We believe that great artwork considers its medium in its expression. Typically, machine-cut crystal glass uses relatively simple aesthetics, and thus relies on having the brightest shine as the highlighting feature of its design. Pate-de-verre—or crystal casting—on the other hand, invites the free-flowing nature of color blending with complex aesthetics, interplaying light and shadow. 

 

What is the difference between Liuli and crystal?
In nature, crystallization is a naturally occurring process by which materials can form in highly ordered microscopic structure. This could be anything from metals and rocks to salt and just plain water. This differs from crystal glass, which is an artificial material combining glass with a certain percentage of lead to produce a brilliantly translucent material which can be transformed and molded for artistic interpretation and design.

 

Why do LIULI artworks contain lead?
In order for man-made glass to be considered “crystal,” it must reach minimum international standard of 16%. In striving for quality, our studio crafts its pieces with a standard 24% lead. The resulting art pieces that emerge are not only much more durable but also significantly brighter and reflective. This can sometimes also be measured by the sound that a crystal wine glass creates, which rings louder and brighter than ordinary glass.

 

Is it safe to use products containing lead?
Because the minimal lead content used in our art pieces have been casted in extremely high temperatures and subsequently cooled, the release of lead particles in normal everyday use is very unlikely. Still, we recommend that you do not let them sit with beverages with very high alcohol content for extended periods of time. We also recommend not exposing them to beverages over 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit). Meanwhile, we also recommend choosing LIULI LIVING lines with tableware, barware, bone china sets for everyday use.

 

Can the artworks be used for everyday purposes?
Our artists strongly believe art shouldn’t just be appreciated in isolation, but that it should be integrated into our daily lifestyles—a constant practice in beauty, so to speak. That is why our studio have created the LIULI PLUX and LIULI LIVING lines, with artworks that can be worn (paired with silver and gold) drunk from, tasted with, and served with.

 

Why are all LIULI Buddha works crafted in powder-white?
Having studied the history and cultural significance of Buddha in Asian art, Loretta H. Yang has made the artistic choice of crafting most of our studio’s works with the sand-blasted white crystal aesthetic. We believe that this best expresses the spiritual purity and serenity of Buddhist philosophies and perspectives. However, many of our Buddha-themed artworks exist in “Medicine” Blue or custom gold leaf—artists’ allusions to the many different sutras and mantras within this branch of historical art.

 

Have any of the Buddha-themed artworks been blessed at a temple?
Our studio designs and crafts all artworks—including the Buddha-themed collections—strictly out of aesthetic and artistic appreciation. While the context of some of these pieces is religious and cultural, we do not claim any religious affiliation or motive for producing them.

 

Who designed all of LIULI’s artworks? Were they all by Loretta H. Yang?
As the founding artist of LIULI glass studio, Loretta H. Yang takes pride in being heavily involved in each and every single art piece created in our studio. While we have many designers who assist in the creative process, her hand exists in every stage of every art piece from the incipient design to the final touches.

 

Do you provide engraving services?

Out of respect for the studio designers’ originality and artistry, we do not engrave on the art pieces themselves. However, we do offer both crystal and acrylic bases of various sizes which can be engraved with any wording and graphics of your liking. Engraving fee ($60-$210) is vary, depends on the base and engraving service chosen. Please allow additional 5-7 business days for the engraving service.

 

Why is the art piece I wish to collect no longer available?
We apologize if the work you seek is no longer available. Almost all of our artistic creations are designed with a set quantity (engraved on the bottom of the piece) after reaching which the studio will cease producing. This is partly a commitment of our artists to constantly strive for new and original designs—“to continuously create art for the good of the heart”. We highly encourage you to speak with our gallery specialists about finding other artworks.

 

Special order for out of stock artwork(s)?
Special order on out of stock artwork(s) will take up to 3-6 months, depend on the complexity of the artwork(s).

Please contact us at 6735 9271 or sgservice@liuligongfang.com.sg for special order inquiries.

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